Key Update

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has suspended the licence of Westend Agro Products Pvt. Ltd. after uncovering serious food safety violations during an inspection of its manufacturing premises.

Officials Uncover Relabelling and Misleading Claims

FSSAI launched the inspection after receiving a complaint alleging the alteration of manufacturing and packing dates,misbra fraudulent relabelling, and the sale of misbranded food products.

During the inspection, officials found that Westend Agro Products and Westend Corporation were operating from the same premises. They discovered several food products with altered manufacturing dates, expiry dates, batch numbers, and misleading label declarations. The inspection team also seized printing machinery, stamps, solvents, and other materials allegedly used to tamper with mandatory food label information.

Officials further recovered packaging materials, labels, and printed wrappers carrying misleading claims, including “Organic” declarations, for products sold under the company’s Organic Shastra brand.

FSSAI stated that deliberately altering mandatory labelling information and selling falsely labelled food products pose a direct threat to consumers and public health. Based on these findings, the regulator suspended the company’s State FSSAI licence with immediate effect.

FSSAI Penalises Pantry Car Supplier for Substandard Milk

In a separate enforcement action, FSSAI passed an adjudication order against Sopan Restaurant after testing a sample of Nova Flavoured Double Toned Milk collected from the pantry car of the Chandigarh–Dibrugarh Express.

The State Public Health Laboratory, Assam, declared the sample substandard. Based on the laboratory findings, FSSAI initiated regulatory action and imposed a monetary penalty on the supplier. The regulator said the action reinforces its commitment to ensuring food safety in railway catering services.

Source: The Hindu Business Line