FSSAI suspends Westend Agro Products’ licence over alleged food labelling violations

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India suspended Westend Agro Products' licence after inspections allegedly found altered manufacturing and expiry dates, misleading labels and fraudulent relabelling, saying the violations posed a potential threat to consumer health and food safety

New Delhi: Food regulator FSSAI on Sunday said it has suspended the licence of Westend Agro Products Pvt Ltd, for serious violation of laws including alteration of manufacturing and expiry dates on many products.

In a social media post, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) informed that it has suspended the licence of Westend Agro Products ” following serious violations observed during inspection at the food business premises”.

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The regulator received a complaint regarding the alteration of manufacturing dates, packing dates, fraudulent re-labelling and sale of misbranded food products at the premises.

During the inspection, it was found that Westend Agro Products, and Westend Corporation were operating from the same premises. “Several food products were found with altered manufacturing dates, expiry dates, batch numbers and misleading label declarations,” FSSAI said.

That apart, the regulator found printing machinery, stamps, solvents and other materials which were allegedly used for altering mandatory food label information.

FSSAI recovered packaging materials, labels and printed wrappers bearing misleading declarations, including “organic” claims. “Deliberate forgery and alteration of mandatory labelling information and sale of food with false or misleading labels pose a direct threat to consumer and public health. The food products are, therefore, prima facie considered unsafe,” FSSAI observed.

As a result, the State FSSAI Licence of Westend Agro Products Pvt Ltd has been suspended with immediate effect, the regulator said. On Saturday, FSSAI imposed penalty against Sopan Restaurant for sale of sub-standard food in a pantry car of Chandigarh and Dibrugarh Express.

An “adjudication order” has been passed against Sopan Restaurant for sale of sub-standard food. The order was passed following “analysis of Nova Flavoured Double Toned Milk sample collected from Pantry Car No. 15904 (Chandigarh – Dibrugarh Express) operated by Sopan Restaurant”, it added.

Earlier this week, FSSAI suspended the licence of Punjab-based Rehaan Healthcare after it found serious violation of rules in the company’s health supplements and nutraceuticals manufacturing unit. Rehaan Healthcare, which manufactures digestive syrup, multi-vitamin syrup and other syrup-based food products, has been asked to stop producing till it corrects all deficiencies and the rectification gets verified by competent Authority.

In the last few months, FSSAI has cracked down on many energy drink and alcoholic beverage companies for misleading claims and labellings. It has also issued notices to many e-commerce platforms.

These actions are based on consumer complaints, suo-motto cognizance and also regular enforcement activities of food safety officers. Interestingly, FSSAI is posting these enforcement actions against the food business operators and e-commerce companies on social media platforms, including Instagram.