A large-scale expired food relabelling racket has been uncovered in Delhi’s Okhla Industrial Area, resulting in seven arrests and the seizure of goods worth more than ₹20 lakh. The operation was allegedly disguised as a legitimate packaging business, raising fresh concerns about food safety enforcement in industrial zones across the capital.
A Raid That Began with a Different Suspicion
The action was carried out jointly by the Delhi Police, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Badarpur, and the NGO Mission Mukti at a private company in Okhla Phase-II. Such joint operations typically bring together enforcement agencies with different mandates, allowing them to act quickly once suspicious activity is flagged.
Officials had initially moved in after receiving information about suspected child labour at the premises. No underage workers were found during the search. Instead, the team uncovered what investigators describe as an organised network dedicated to altering and reselling expired food products, a discovery that shifted the focus of the raid entirely.
According to police, the accused allegedly sourced expired or near-expiry items from well-known food brands at heavily discounted rates, later doctoring them to appear fresh before pushing them back into the market through multiple channels.
Inside the Expired Food Relabelling Racket
Investigators say the group used chemical solvents to erase original manufacturing and expiry dates printed on the packaging. Fresh labels bearing new batch numbers, barcodes and revised Maximum Retail Prices were then affixed using specialised printing equipment, making the products appear as though they were newly manufactured.
The seized inventory spanned a wide range of consumer goods, including packaged juices, soft drinks, health beverages, instant noodles and ghee. FSSAI officials stated that more than 50,000 food and non-food items were recovered from the facility, a significant number of which allegedly carried forged manufacturing and expiry details.
During the search, teams also recovered the tools of the operation itself, including printing machines, sealing equipment, rubber stamps, and chemical agents believed to have been used to strip and reprint expiry information. Officials noted that the scale of equipment found suggested the operation had been running for a considerable period before being detected.
Wider Distribution Raises Public Health Concerns
Authorities suspect the relabelled stock was being channelled through wholesale markets and e-commerce platforms, with some batches possibly intended for export. This distribution pattern has raised concerns among food safety officials about the potential public health impact of the racket, given how widely such products could have reached unsuspecting consumers without any visible signs of tampering.
An FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, covering offences related to cheating and the sale of unsafe food products. Those arrested include the company’s owner, its manager, an accountant, a machine operator, a warehouse keeper and two supervisors, reflecting a structured and role-based setup rather than an isolated act by a single individual.
Legal Action and Ongoing Investigation
Officials have indicated that further legal proceedings will be pursued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, in addition to the criminal charges already filed. Investigators are now working to trace the full supply chain linked to the operation, including the sources from which expired products were originally procured.
The probe is expected to focus on identifying other individuals, warehouses, or distributors who may have knowingly or unknowingly dealt in the relabelled products. Officials have not ruled out the possibility of similar setups operating elsewhere in the city, and further raids may follow depending on the outcome of the ongoing investigation.
Conclusion
The exposure of this expired food relabelling racket highlights ongoing challenges in monitoring food safety compliance within industrial supply chains. As the probe widens, officials are expected to examine how far the network’s reach extended and whether similar operations exist elsewhere in the region.
Also read: 9 Members of Family Fall Ill After Eating Momos in Noida, Food Poisoning Suspected
Follow for more updates: www.instagram.com/imnindia.news/
Leave a comment