Key Update

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the food business licence of Blink Commerce Private Limited’s facility in Pagao, Bhiwandi, after the company failed to provide verifiable proof of disposing of 18,405 expired, spoiled, and unsaleable food items worth ₹32.71 lakh. Authorities also registered an FIR against the company on October 23.

During an inspection, FDA officials identified gaps in the records documenting the transportation and final disposal of these products. The company could not produce essential evidence, including weighment slips, vehicle details, e-way bills, goods receipt records, CCTV footage, time-stamped photographs and disposal certificates.

FDA Questions Disposal Records

At a hearing, the company’s director reportedly stated that Blink Commerce had submitted agreements with two waste disposal agencies. However, the FDA maintained that these agreements did not establish whether the agencies had actually collected and destroyed the expired products. The department is now investigating whether intermediaries diverted food products intended for authorised disposal and reintroduced them into the market. Authorities have not yet established whether such diversion occurred, and the investigation remains ongoing.

FIR Filed Following Warehouse Inspections

Following a food safety officer’s complaint, Bhiwandi Taluka Police registered an FIR on October 23 under Sections 318(4), 275, 61 and 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 59(i) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The action followed inspections conducted by seven FDA teams on October 14 and 15 across warehouses and disposal centres in Bhiwandi, Ambernath, Chakan and Nighoje. During these inspections, officials identified expired and spoiled food products worth ₹48.09 lakh.

The case highlights the importance of maintaining verifiable disposal records and ensuring that expired or unsafe food products do not re-enter the supply chain.

Source: Free Press Journal