The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has initiated a review of food imports originating from India after local authorities uncovered a sophisticated illegal operation involving altered expiry dates and counterfeit nutritional labels in Mumbai. During a raid on a local warehouse last week, Indian officials seized altered food items valued at nearly $80,000 alongside specialized printing equipment and chemicals used to re-label expired or near-expiry goods. The seized inventory included products from prominent multinational corporations, including PepsiCo, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, and Unilever.
The CFIA confirmed it is actively monitoring the situation to assess potential risks to Canada's food supply, though it emphasized that no evidence currently suggests affected products have entered Canadian trade channels. However, concern escalated after photo evidence from the raid revealed a packet of Kurkure—a popular puffed snack brand produced by PepsiCo—carrying nutritional information printed in both English and French. Because Canadian food safety regulations strictly mandate bilingual labeling on imported packaged foods, investigators suspect the facility may have been preparing counterfeit shipments specifically tailored for the Canadian market.
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According to Indian authorities, the facility was functioning on behalf of 19 relatively unknown export entities. None of the multinational food manufacturers have been implicated in any wrongdoing, as the ongoing investigation remains focused strictly on unauthorized re-labeling operators and rogue exporters. PepsiCo issued a clarification stating that its India-manufactured snack lines are produced exclusively for domestic sales unless formally authorized for export, adding that it maintains no commercial ties with any of the 19 exporters identified in official reports. India’s Commerce Ministry has not yet commented on the matter.
The Mumbai action was executed as part of a broader food safety enforcement drive led by Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe. Indian state and federal authorities have ramped up surprise inspections of food processing facilities and warehouses to curb regulatory non-compliance, issuing immediate suspension orders where violations are uncovered. Commissioner Mundhe confirmed that the FDA has alerted relevant government ministries to help track how expired food stock was procured, altered, and designated for international logistics channels.
Canadian officials warned that if non-compliant or fraudulently labeled foods are detected within Canada, the CFIA maintains statutory authority to enforce swift regulatory actions. These measures include product recalls, market removals, license suspensions, and administrative monetary penalties. Both Canadian and Indian enforcement bodies are continuing joint oversight efforts to establish the exact supply paths and intended final foreign destinations of the seized merchandise.
