The Karnataka Food Safety and Drugs Administration has seized expired and mislabelled food products and medicines worth more than ₹1.4 crore following a special enforcement drive targeting food storage and supply units across Bengaluru, according to an official statement released on Tuesday, 8 September. The crackdown covered major e-commerce warehouses, a retail outlet, and a wholesale enterprise — flagging systemic lapses in labelling, storage licensing, and product shelf-life compliance.

Scale and Scope of the Drive

The inspections were carried out under the guidance of Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader by designated officers and Food Safety Officers operating under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011, and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Authorities examined mandatory labelling requirements, manufacturing and expiry dates, shelf-life compliance, and standards applicable to products sold through online and e-commerce platforms. Unlicensed storage of medicines was also scrutinised.

According to the department's confirmed summary, food products worth ₹33 lakh with incorrect or inadequate labelling and expired food products worth ₹65.10 lakh were confirmed as seized, bringing the total confirmed value of seized food products to ₹98.10 lakh. Medicines worth ₹4.02 lakh were additionally seized. A further ₹1 crore worth of expired and mislabelled products detected at the Hoskote facility are not included in this confirmed total, as investigation there remains ongoing.

Amazon Warehouses Under the Scanner

At an Amazon facility identified as BLR6, located at Hitech Defence and Aerospace Park, Devanahalli, food products worth ₹14 lakh were seized for allegedly carrying incorrect or inadequate labelling. Expired food products worth a further ₹10 lakh were also found, taking the total seizure from this unit to ₹24 lakh. Additionally, medicines worth ₹2,45,352 stored without the required licence were confiscated.

A second Amazon facility — BLR7RKV Developers in Madivala and Thattanahalli village, Anekal taluk — yielded food products worth ₹19 lakh flagged for labelling violations and expired goods worth ₹13 lakh, totalling ₹32 lakh in seized food products. Medicines worth ₹1.57 lakh stored without a licence were also seized from this location.

Retail Outlet, Wholesale Unit, and Instamart Facility

Acting on a public complaint, officials inspected Saptha Bazaar on 6th Main Road, HBR Layout, where the business was allegedly purchasing groceries, milk, vegetables, curd, and other food items from e-commerce and online delivery agencies and reselling expired products to consumers. Expired items — including cashew biscuits, ragi flour, chicken patties, paneer, cookies, nuts, eggs, and flour — were found on the premises. Products valued at approximately ₹10,000 were seized.

At Leo 7 Enterprises in Lingarajapuram, officials discovered a range of expired or near-expiry products — reportedly including nutritional products, beverages, chocolates, sweets, ghee, and nuts and seeds — stored on the premises. Food products valued at approximately ₹56 lakh were seized and the premises were sealed.

The Instamart facility in Hoskote, Bengaluru Rural district, saw the largest single-location seizure in confirmed terms: expired food products worth ₹42 lakh were confiscated. Officials cited unhygienic conditions and violations of the Food Safety and Standards Act, and the facility was closed down. Further investigation is under way, with an additional ₹1 crore in detected products pending confirmation.

What Authorities Said and What Comes Next

The Food Safety and Drugs Administration stated that investigations into the violations are continuing and that further action will be taken against the concerned establishments in accordance with the law. The drive notably targeted not just physical retail but also the back-end infrastructure of e-commerce delivery — a segment that has faced growing regulatory scrutiny over product traceability and last-mile quality control. This is among the largest single enforcement actions the Karnataka department has conducted against e-commerce warehousing in recent memory, and its outcome is likely to inform how the state frames future compliance norms for online grocery and quick-commerce platforms.