Daijiworld Media Network - Thane

Thane, Oct 17: Police have registered a first information report (FIR) against a Reliance Consumer Products director and nine others after the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized food products worth ?48 lakh during a multi-district crackdown on the alleged diversion and sale of expired, damaged and rejected food items.

The FIR was registered at Shanti Nagar police station in Thane and names 10 accused, including senior officials and employees associated with Reliance Consumer Products, Reliance Retail, Blinkit and Zomato Hyperpure. Operators of disposal agencies and local suppliers have also been named in the case, an official said.

The FDA's operation targeted alleged irregularities in the disposal of food products, including the diversion of expired and damaged stock back into the commercial market. The investigation is expected to examine the role of the companies and individuals named in the FIR.

The action comes amid a wider crackdown by Maharashtra's food safety authorities on the alleged recirculation of expired food products. In a separate operation in June, the FDA seized food stock worth more than ?52 lakh in Bhiwandi and registered FIRs against several accused over alleged diversion and resale of expired and damaged products.