New date stamps on old products: how expired food found way back to market, Pg3

Key Highlights:

• An illegal operation involved in relabeling expired food and beverage products with new dates was uncovered in Southeast Delhi’s Okhla Industrial Area.
• The unit, operating under the name Westend Corporation Private Limited, allegedly tampered with popular brands like Thums Up, Maggi, Horlicks, and Paper Boat.
• Police arrested seven individuals, including the alleged owner, Darshan Singh Sachdeva, 70, from Greater Kailash.
• The raid was conducted by a joint team comprising Delhi Police, officials from the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Badarpur), the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
• Products worth over Rs 20 lakh, along with counterfeit labels, stickers, and forged batch codes, were seized from the premises.

Detailed Insights:

• The accused sourced near-expiry food products from approximately 60-70 wholesalers across states including Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh.
• Workers used thinner to remove original manufacturing and expiry dates, then applied new dates using handheld printing machines or by pasting stickers.
• The relabeled products allegedly had their shelf life extended by five to six months and were suspected of being supplied to warehouses linked to e-commerce platforms.
• The arrested individuals were booked under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to the sale of noxious food or drink, cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy.
• The operation had been running for more than three years, with the unit functioning from a commercial building in Okhla.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita: India's new criminal code, which replaced the Indian Penal Code, addressing various offenses including those related to food safety and fraud.
• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI): A statutory body under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, responsible for regulating food safety and standards in India.
• National Human Rights Commission (NHRC): A statutory public body established for the protection and promotion of human rights in India.