FSSAI Suspends Westend Agro Products' Licence Over Alleged Labelling Violations
FSSAI has suspended Westend Agro Products' licence after allegedly finding altered food labels, misleading declarations and other labelling violations.
SociapaHQ
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has suspended with immediate effect the State licence of Westend Agro Products Pvt Ltd after an inspection allegedly found multiple violations pertaining to food labelling, product information and misbranding.
The food safety regulator said the action was initiated after a complaint that the company was adulterating manufacturing dates, packing dates and other mandatory information on food products. The complaint also alleged that the company fraudulently relabelled products and sold misbranded food items.
Also Read: Berger Paints Unveils Refreshed Brand Identity with ‘Rang Bana Rahe’ Campaign
Label Tampering:
FSSAI during the inspection found that Westend Agro Products Pvt Ltd and Westend Corporation were operating from the same premises.
Its inspection team found several food products with tampered manufacturing dates, expiry dates, batch numbers and label declaration, the regulator said. Authorities also confiscated printing machines, stamps, solvents and other materials that they claim were used to change required information printed on food labels.
The FSSAI also said that it had seized packaging material, labels and printed wrappers with misleading declarations including claims that some products were “organic”.
In a statement the regulator said: “The intentional modification of mandatory labelling information and the sale of food with false or misleading labelling pose a direct risk to consumers and public health. "The products were prima facie considered unsafe based on the findings," it said.
Based on the inspection, FSSAI also suspended the company’s State licence with immediate effect.
This is part of a bigger push by the food regulator to tackle violations across the food and beverage sector.
Also Read: KFC Bets on Creators, Culture and Value to Win Gen Z
Recent Crackdown:
FSSAI penalises Sopan Restaurant for selling sub-standard food in pantry car of Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express The order was passed by adjudication on Saturday. The case had arisen out of the analysis of a sample of Nova Flavoured Double Toned Milk taken from the Pantry Car No. 15904 run by the restaurant.
The regulator had also suspended the licence of Punjab-based Rehaan Healthcare earlier this week after it found serious violations in its health supplements and nutraceuticals manufacturing facility. The company was instructed to stop production until all deficiencies are rectified and confirmed by the competent authority.
