{
  "id": 8266346,
  "title": "Bombay HC Quashes Case Against Britannia Dairy Over Unsafe Cheese, Cites Violation Of Food Safety Safeguards",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/bombay-hc-quashes-case-against-britannia-dairy-over-unsafe-cheese",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-18T15:12:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/bombay-hc-quashes-case-against-britannia-dairy-over-unsafe-cheese-cites-violation-of-food-safety-safeguards"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On September 18, the Bombay High Court dismissed criminal proceedings against Britannia Dairy Private Limited in relation to allegations of selling unsafe cheese. The court ruled that the company was denied a fair opportunity to challenge the food safety report before prosecution was initiated. Justice RR Bhonsale explained that the company was notified only after the product had gone past its shelf life, rendering it unable to have the sample tested by a referral laboratory. This breach, the court argued, violated the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and deprived the company of the necessary safeguards.\n\nThe matter concerned Britannia Cheese Cubes (Sour Cream and Onion), produced by Schreiber Dynamix Dairies Limited and marketed by Britannia Dairy. A sample gathered by a Food Safety Officer was found to be infested with fungus and deemed unsafe under the FSS Act. Britannia Dairy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Britannia Industries Limited, had sought the High Court's intervention to seek quashing of the criminal case pending before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate. The company argued that they were notified of the legal action on May 17, 2014, following the expiration of the cheese's shelf life, thus preventing them from having the fourth part of the sample analyzed by a referral laboratory or contesting the Food Analyst's report.\n\nJustice Bhonsale emphasized that Britannia Dairy, as the marketer's name appeared on the product label, was entitled to these statutory safeguards. He noted that the issuance of notice after the expiration of the shelf life clearly deprived the company of its right to exercise any available options under the relevant rules. The court also pointed out that the Food Analyst's report was never provided to the company, further denying it the chance to appeal the decision. The court expressed concern that the mandatory provisions and safeguards provided under the FSS Act were not followed properly.\n\nThe High Court also criticized the magistrate's order issuing process, labeling it as a \"rubber stamp order\" that did not reflect careful consideration. The court pointed out that some accused individuals resided outside the magistrate's territorial jurisdiction, which made it mandatory for an inquiry under Section 202 of the CrPC to be carried out before issuing process. Furthermore, continuing with the proceedings would be seen as an abuse of court process, leading the HC to quash the criminal proceedings and the issuing order. The court permitted the application under Section 482 of the CrPC, aligning with Section 528 of the BNSS.",
  "summary": "Mumbai, September 18: The Bombay High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against Britannia Dairy Private Limited over allegations of selling unsafe cheese, holding that the company was denied a fair opportunity to challenge the food safety report before prosecution was launched. Justice RR Bhonsale noted that the company was served notice only after the product had crossed its shelf life,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}