Canada assesses risks to imports after India raid finds fake labels on food products

OTTAWA/NEW DELHI: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is looking into whether an illegal operation in India that labelled chips and other food products with fake nutrition information and expiry dates represents a risk to the country’s imports.

Indian authorities raided a Mumbai warehouse last week, seizing products worth nearly $80,000 as well as chemicals and printing machines used to replace old dates and nutritional information on PepsiCo, Nestle, Coca-Cola and Unilever products to make them suitable for export. The companies have not been accused of any wrongdoing, and the investigation is focusing on rogue exporters.

The Canadian agency “is monitoring the situation to determine whether it presents any risk to imports into Canada. At this time, the CFIA has no information indicating that products associated with this operation entered Canada,” it said in a statement to Reuters.

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“The Canadian Food Inspection Agency takes food fraud, including false date markings, inaccurate nutrition information, and misleading origin claims seriously,” it added.

It is the first foreign agency to react to the incident.

The crackdown in Mumbai is part of an unprecedented food safety drive in India, where both federal and state authorities are aggressively checking for poor hygiene standards or breaches of food safety laws, and have at times even issued instant suspension orders.

English-French label found

One packet of PepsiCo’s Indian brand Kurkure puffed chips found by a Reuters photographer inside the warehouse during the raid had a fake label with nutrition information in English and French, similar to the format prescribed in Canada.

Canada’s food labelling rules require such information be shown in both languages.

Indian officials have said products relabelled at the warehouse were expired or nearing expiry. The Mumbai warehouse owners carried out activities on behalf of 19 little-known exporters, officials have also said, but it is not clear which countries the goods were destined for.

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PepsiCo in a statement to Reuters said it has no commercial engagement with the export companies referenced in recent media reports and does not endorse or support any unauthorised export of its products.

“Our snack food products manufactured in India are meant for sale in India, unless otherwise specifically authorised by us to be exported,” the company said.

India’s commerce ministry, which oversees exports, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“We have written to concerned authorities about our findings, who will investigate details of the exporters involved,” Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, who led the operation, told Reuters on Thursday.

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In its statement to Reuters, the CFIA said when non-compliant foods are identified, it takes appropriate action to protect consumers, which may include product removal, licence suspension and monetary penalties.