Massive Cache of Expired Amul Food Items Destroyed in Jaipur; Alleged Date-Tampering Racket Sparks Concern Over Food Safety

In a startling enforcement operation, the Food Safety authorities in Rajasthan have disposed of nearly 1.5 lakh kilograms of outdated packaged food products linked to the Amul brand in Jaipur after officials uncovered an alleged scheme in which expired goods were being readied for sale by wiping off the original expiry dates and printing fresh ones.

Senior officials said the action followed a complaint lodged through the state’s 181 public grievance helpline, which alerted authorities that a distribution firm operating in Jaipur’s Kho Nagorian locality was allegedly planning to push expired packaged food into the market after altering the expiry details.

Following the alert, a team from the office of the Chief Medical Officer (Jaipur II) was immediately dispatched to the warehouse mentioned in the complaint for a detailed inspection.

According to Gayatri Rathore, Principal Secretary of the Medical, Health and Family Welfare Department, officials conducting the raid discovered huge stacks of food cartons stored inside a large godown.

The seized stock reportedly included various non-dairy packaged items carrying the Amul brand name, such as noodles, tomato sauce, mayonnaise, energy drinks and other processed food products.

Authorities said the products had originally been manufactured by Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Limited of Gujarat and were supplied through a private distribution company.

The investigation revealed that thousands of cartons containing packaged food had already crossed their expiry dates.

Officials involved in the operation stated that nearly 12,000 cartons were found with expired manufacturing or consumption dates, while around 3,000 additional cartons appeared to have had the expiry markings deliberately removed from the packets.

During the search, enforcement teams also recovered thinner, acetone, chemicals and other materials, which investigators suspect were being used to erase the printed expiry details from the packaging.

Authorities believe the distributor was preparing to stamp fresh dates on the altered products and repack them into about 4,500 newly printed cartons bearing the Amul brand name before releasing them into the market for profit.

Bhagwat Singh, Additional Commissioner of Food Safety and Drug Control, said officials were shocked by the sheer volume of expired goods discovered at the premises.

He described the scale of the stockpile as alarming, noting that the operation to remove and destroy the material continued for several days.

During questioning, the businessman linked to the distribution firm reportedly admitted that he had learned techniques to modify expiry dates on packaged food items by watching instructional videos on YouTube.

Due to the enormous quantity of seized material, authorities said the operation lasted four days, during which the expired food items were loaded onto 27 trucks and transported to a designated dumping ground where they were destroyed. Officials added that the entire disposal process was carried out at the expense of the firm involved.

Food Safety Commissioner Dr T. Shubhamangala said the department had earlier received information suggesting that suspicious food-related activities were taking place at the warehouse.

Residents reportedly told authorities that once 10 to 12 workers entered the premises in the morning, the main gate remained shut throughout the day, preventing outsiders from entering the building.

Investigators also discovered that the food licence of the distributor had already expired, raising further concerns about the legality of the business operations being conducted at the site.

Officials said legal notices are now being issued to the companies linked with the products under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006.

Representatives connected with the supply chain reportedly acknowledged during preliminary questioning that the expiry markings on some of the Amul-labelled goods had been removed.

Authorities believe the trader had been purchasing products that were close to their expiry dates at heavily discounted prices before attempting to manipulate the packaging and resell them in the market.

Following the raid, the warehouse has been sealed, and the firm’s food business activities have been suspended until further legal action is completed.

Officials from the Food Safety Department said a formal complaint is also being prepared against the distributor for allegedly storing expired products, attempting to re-market them by altering expiry labels, operating without a valid food licence, shifting seized material from the location without authorisation and failing to comply with instructions issued by food safety officers.

The shocking discovery has triggered wider concern among health-conscious citizens.

Many believe that if such alleged manipulation of expiry dates could occur in the case of a major brand’s packaged goods in Rajasthan, similar practices may be taking place in other parts of the country as well.

Public health advocates argue that the issue may not be limited to a single brand or distributor.

They warn that other traders dealing in everyday food products could also be engaging in similar practices, potentially exposing consumers to serious health risks.

Several citizens have also questioned the functioning of regulatory authorities, noting that such large-scale violations appear to surface only occasionally.

They say the public deserves clarity about how monitoring and inspections are carried out throughout the year and why such activities are often detected only after complaints are lodged.

The incident has therefore intensified calls for stricter surveillance of food distribution networks, regular inspections of warehouses and stronger enforcement of food safety laws to ensure that products reaching consumers are safe and fit for consumption.

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