Navi Mumbai Relabelling Racket: Fake Labels on Expiring Food Products for Export

A major relabelling racket has been uncovered in Navi Mumbai, where expired food products of leading brands were being faked to make them export-ready.

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raided a warehouse run by Sadhana Enterprises, seizing goods worth close to $80,000.

The fake labels included original expiry and manufacturing dates scratched off, with new ones printed using machines on site. The products involved were PepsiCo's Lay's and Kurkure, Nestle's Maggi noodles, Unilever's Knorr soup and Hellmann's mayonnaise, and Coca-Cola's Thums Up and Limca.

FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said he was shocked by the scale of the racket, which involved 19 lesser-known exporters. He urged consumers to report missing expiry dates on quick-commerce platforms, saying products sold through these platforms must meet required standards and be sourced from properly registered or licensed entities.