₹1.38 crore worth of expired, mislabelled food seized from Amazon, Swiggy Instamart facilities in Bengaluru

Food safety officials in Bengaluru have seized expired and mislabelled food products worth ₹1.38 crore from Amazon, Swiggy Instamart and other storage and retail facilities during a fresh inspection drive. Medicines worth another ₹4.02 lakh were also seized.

The inspections were carried out by the Karnataka Food Safety and Drugs Administration at Amazon facilities in Devanahalli and Anekal, a Swiggy Instamart facility in Hoskote and several other food storage and supply units in and around Bengaluru.

Why did officials inspect these facilities?

The inspections followed documents submitted in connection with a "peptide party" organised in Bengaluru, according to the department.

Officials checked food products sold through online and e-commerce platforms, looking at expiry dates, dates of manufacture, shelf life and mandatory labelling requirements. They also checked whether medicines were being stored with the required licences.

What was found at Amazon facilities?

At Amazon's Devanahalli and Anekal facilities, officials seized food products worth ₹56 lakh for alleged labelling violations and expiry.

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At the Devanahalli facility, food products worth ₹14 lakh were seized for alleged labelling violations. Another ₹10 lakh worth of expired food products was found, taking the total food seizure to ₹24 lakh.

Officials also seized medicines worth ₹2.45 lakh, alleging that they were being stored without a licence.

At the Anekal facility, food products worth ₹19 lakh were seized for alleged labelling violations, while expired products worth another ₹13 lakh were found. The total value of food products seized there was ₹32 lakh.

Medicines worth ₹1.57 lakh were also seized for allegedly being stored without the required licence.

₹42 lakh worth of expired food seized from Swiggy Instamart

The inspection at Swiggy Instamart's Hoskote facility turned up expired food products worth ₹42 lakh.

Officials closed the facility after finding what they described as unhygienic conditions and violations of provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act and applicable rules.

The investigation is still underway. The department said expired and mislabelled products estimated at around ₹1 crore had been detected during the investigation.

Expired food found at local stores

The inspections were not limited to large online delivery and e-commerce facilities.

At Saptha Bazaar in HBR Layout, officials acted on a complaint alleging that the store was buying grocery items, milk, vegetables, curd and other food products from various e-commerce and online delivery agencies and reselling expired products to consumers.

Officials found expired cashew biscuits, ragi flour, chicken patty, paneer, cookies, nuts, eggs and flour, among other products.

Expired food products worth approximately ₹10,000 were seized in the interest of public health.

At Leo 7 Enterprises in Lingarajapuram, officials found food products that were either expired or nearing expiry. These included nutritional products, beverages, chocolates, sweets, ghee and nuts and seeds.

According to the department, the owner told officials that food products worth approximately ₹56 lakh were stored at the premises. The premises was subsequently seized.

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Total seizure worth ₹1.43 crore

The department said food products with incorrect or inadequate labelling worth ₹33 lakh were seized during the drive. Expired or near-expiry food products worth ₹1.05 crore were also seized.

Together, the food products seized were worth ₹1.38 crore. Medicines worth another ₹4.02 lakh were seized separately, taking the total seizure value to ₹1.43 crore.

The latest inspections are part of an intensified food safety crackdown across Bengaluru. Officials are checking restaurants, hotels, clubs, warehouses and food distribution facilities.

Storage units supplying major hotels and restaurants have also been inspected. Notices have been issued to establishments where violations were found, with officials warning that further action could be taken under food safety regulations.