Bengaluru, September 8, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Karnataka Health Department officials on Tuesday raided a Swiggy Instamart warehouse in Bengaluru as part of an intensified crackdown on the storage and sale of expired food products and medicines.
The action was part of a wider enforcement drive being conducted by the Food Safety Department and Drug Safety Department across Bengaluru and surrounding areas. Further details of the raid were awaited.
Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader said food and medicines worth around Rs 3 crore had been seized across Karnataka during the past week. The seized items included expired products and medicines allegedly stored and relabelled for sale.
Khader urged consumers to remain vigilant and check expiry dates before purchasing food, medicines and other products.
“I appeal to people to check the expiry date before purchasing any product. Even if you find a small clue or something suspicious, please report it, because it can lead to uncovering a much larger issue,” he said.
The minister said the department had introduced QR codes and barcodes to help consumers verify products. He also appealed to social activists to spread awareness about the system.
“I appeal to social activists to take the QR codes and barcodes to the public and create awareness. They should come forward and help strengthen the system,” Khader said.
He said regular inspections and public participation were necessary to prevent expired or mislabelled food and medicines from reaching consumers through both online and offline channels.
Khader said officials had found medicines worth around Rs 45 lakh at dark stores in Hoskote and alleged that some products had been relabelled. The seized items have been taken into custody and further investigation is underway.
Action Against ‘Peptide Party’
On the action against the proposed ‘peptide party’, Khader said he received information about the event through social media and immediately brought it to the attention of the department’s Commissioner.
“Our officials also tried to register online by posing as customers to find out more about the event, but they were not allowed to register. The organisers were selectively allowing people to participate,” he said.
After repeated attempts to register failed, officials issued notices to the organisers and summoned them for questioning. Khader said the organisers subsequently cancelled the event after being warned about possible legal consequences.
The department, however, continued its inquiry despite the cancellation.
According to Khader, the organisers told officials that the event was intended to introduce participants to new products in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical sectors, including food and nutraceutical products.
When questioned about the source of the products, they reportedly told officials that some items had been supplied through Amazon dark stores.
Based on the information, Food Safety Department officials conducted inspections and raids at the concerned facilities and seized medicines and other products worth several lakh rupees.
Khader said three teams comprising Food Safety Department and Drug Safety officials conducted inspections at Anekal and other locations on Tuesday, where significant quantities of food and pharmaceutical products were detected.
Officials also inspected a facility in Lingarajapuram, where expired products worth around Rs 45 lakh were reportedly found.
“So far, we have found expired products worth approximately Rs 1 crore,” Khader said.
He said officials had detected products from several companies that had already expired but were still being stored at the premises, raising concerns that they could have subsequently been supplied to consumers.
According to the minister, a large quantity of the products was traced to Hoskote, where an inspection was still underway.
Khader said the Food Safety and Drug Safety departments would continue extensive inspections to prevent such practices and safeguard public health.
He added that the government was considering stronger legal action against those who deliberately put people’s health at risk by selling expired or unsafe products.
“Anyone who cheats people in matters concerning their health and puts their health at risk should be dealt with under criminal law. There is a provision in this regard, and we are discussing the matter with the Law Department. We also want the Central government to look into this issue,” he said.
Khader said repeated warnings, penalties and other regulatory measures had failed to sufficiently deter some offenders from repeating such practices.
He also praised Food Safety Department officials for working round the clock and carrying out inspections without favouring or sparing anyone.
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