Maharashtra FDA Names Blinkit and Reliance Executives in Expired Food Probe

Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has named officials from Reliance Retail, Reliance Consumer and Eternal’s Blinkit and Hyperpure units in an investigation into the alleged re-entry of expired food products into the supply chain. According to documents reviewed by Reuters, the probe includes Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa and follows a police complaint filed by the state food safety authority.

The investigation found alleged gaps in the disposal of expired and customer-rejected food products. FDA officials reportedly could not verify whether contractors had properly destroyed the stock, with concerns that discarded products were transferred to unlicensed sorting yards, where some packages were separated and potentially returned to the market. The authority also raised questions about the disposal contractor named by a Hyperpure warehouse representative.

As part of the crackdown, Maharashtra’s FDA suspended the licences of five establishments, including three Reliance entities and two Eternal entities, according to the case documents. FDA chief Tukaram Mundhe said attempts to return expired or damaged food to the market would face strict scrutiny. Reliance and Blinkit had not immediately responded to Reuters’ requests for comment.

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