Expired Frooti and Appy Fizz were among the products seized after a Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection at a warehouse linked to Parle Agro in Mumbai.According to a Mint report, the FDA suspended the licence of the Velocity Express warehouse after officials found expired beverages worth ₹99,970. The seized stock included expired batches of Frooti, Appy Fizz and Candy Juice.The action came as the FDA, led by Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, stepped up inspections of food businesses across Maharashtra.
What did officials find at the warehouse?
The warehouse is located in Prayag Nagar on LU Gadkari Marg, near Chembur’s Washinaka area.According to the report, a team of eight FDA officials carried out the inspection overnight, beginning around 6 pm on August 13 and continuing until 5 am on August 14.During the operation, officials found expired batches of the three beverages. The stock was seized and barred from being sold, transported or distributed.The warehouse was also sealed, while two vehicles being used to transport the products were detained, the report said.So, what started as a food-safety inspection ended with the warehouse’s licence being suspended and its operations restricted.
FDA’s wider food-safety crackdown
The action against the Parle Agro-linked facility was part of a much larger inspection drive across Maharashtra.The FDA inspected 86 food establishments operating through online delivery platforms on August 13. Fourteen food-business licences were suspended, while 60 establishments were issued improvement notices, according to the department.Officials also seized 698 kg of dairy products worth ₹34,302 during the campaign.But the crackdown went beyond expired food. The department said it registered 10 FIRs, arrested nine people and confiscated banned products such as pan masala and gutkha worth more than ₹46.76 lakh.The FDA also inspected 109 hotels, restaurants, dhabas and other food establishments. Four licences were suspended and 49 businesses received improvement notices.For consumers, the episode is a reminder of something fairly basic but easy to overlook: check the expiry date before buying or drinking packaged food and beverages.And with food-safety inspections continuing across the state, more such actions could follow.
