Mumbai Warehouse Raid Exposes Illicit Food Export Operation

India's Maharashtra state has cracked down on an illicit food export operation in Mumbai that was faking expiry dates and nutritional information on popular products. The operation, run by privately owned Sadhana Enterprises, involved removing original labels from products such as Lay's potato chips and Maggi noodles, then printing new ones with fake information.

The raid, led by state Food and Drug Administration head Tukaram Mundhe, seized goods worth nearly $80,000. The warehouse contained over 5,000 cartons of consumer products, including PepsiCo's Kurkure chips, Nestle's Maggi Masala Noodles, Unilever's Knorr Mushroom Soup, and Coca-Cola's Thums Up cans.

Mundhe told Reuters that the operation was 'like organised activity. It’s been done systematically.' The fake labels were often in English and French to comply with foreign regulations. One PepsiCo Kurkure pack had a nutrition label in both languages, while another Maggi carton had a fake label pasted on top of the original.

The seized products were destined for export, but it's unclear which countries they were headed to. Mundhe called for supply chain accountability and said companies must abide by regulations.