Bengaluru food safety crackdown: ₹1.38 crore expired, mislabelled food seized from Amazon, Instamart

Bengaluru's food safety authorities conducted inspections at online delivery platforms, seizing expired and improperly labeled food products worth over ₹1.38 crore. Medicines valued at around ₹4 lakh were also confiscated. The drive, initiated by Health Minister U T Khader, targeted products stored and sold through online platforms, following the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

Inspectors from the Food Safety and Drugs Administration conducted checks at Amazon's BLR6 and BLR7 facilities in Hitech Defence and Aerospace Park and Anekal taluk. At Amazon's BLR6 facility, ₹14 lakh worth of food products with incorrect or inadequate labeling were seized, alongside ₹10 lakh worth of expired items. At the BLR7 facility, ₹19 lakh worth of improperly labeled products and ₹13 lakh worth of expired food items were confiscated, along with ₹1.57 lakh worth of unlicensed medicines.

In Saptha Bazaar, officials found and seized expired items including cashew biscuits, ragi flour, and other foods worth around ₹10,000. Additional inspections at Leo 7 Enterprises in Lingarajapuram, Instamart in Hoskote, and another Instamart facility yielded similar findings of expired or improperly labeled products and unlicensed medicines.

The overall operation resulted in the seizure of food products worth ₹33 lakh due to incorrect or inadequate labeling, and expired or near-expiry items valued at ₹1.05 crore, bringing the total value of confiscated goods to ₹1.38 crore. Medicines worth ₹4.02 lakh, stored without the required licenses, were also seized. The investigation at the Instamart facilities remains ongoing.