Indian authorities file case against retail executives over expired food

Police in Maharashtra have registered a First Information Report against more than 10 executives from Reliance Consumer Products, Reliance Retail, Blinkit, and Zomato Hyperpure, according to the Economic Times, BusinessLine, Nation Path India, The Hindu, and Deccan Herald. The Economic Times and Nation Path India reported that the case follows a multi-district crackdown by the Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration, which seized food products worth 48.09 lakh Indian rupees. [1][2][3][4][5]

The Food and Drugs Administration alleged the diversion and sale of expired, damaged, and rejected food items, according to the Economic Times. The Economic Times reported that the case was registered at the Shanti Nagar police station in Thane, naming Blinkit chief executive officer Albinder Dhindsa along with Reliance Consumer Products executives V Subramaniam, Ashok Kumar Singh, Vijay Bhikaji Kharmale, and Nilesh Ramdasrao Deshmukh. [1]

Blinkit, originally founded in December 2013 as Grofers by Albinder Dhindsa and Saurabh Kumar in Gurugram, initially focused on supply chain efficiencies and hyperlocal logistics for neighborhood retail stores in India. [6]

The legal action comes shortly after Reliance Consumer Products pledged more than 600 crore rupees to construct an integrated food park in West Bengal, as FTMQ Food reported earlier. [7]