The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officer was cornered. Expired biscuit packets were held up before him. In the chaos, some people tried to push the biscuits into his mouth.
“Eat them yourself,” people shouted as an angry crowd closed in around the official, accusing him of accepting a bribe to shield a shopkeeper.
FDA Inspection Reveals Expired Goods at Local Shop
An FDA officer conducted an inspection at a local shop following a complaint regarding a savoury snack mix. However, locals claimed that the snack mix had already been removed prior to the inspection.
During the visit, the officer discovered several packets of expired biscuits being sold. Residents reported that while these expired items were confiscated, no significant action was taken against the shopkeeper.
Additionally, the crowd accused the officer of attempting to resolve the issue after allegedly accepting a bribe.
The scene, captured on video, unfolded in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. The confrontation stemmed from the alleged sale of expired food products at a local paan shop. The child’s condition reportedly worsened, following which the family rushed the child to a hospital for treatment. The incident sparked outrage among the child’s relatives and other residents, who contacted the FDA office in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and lodged a complaint. As anger mounted, residents surrounded the officer and challenged him to eat the biscuits if they were safe for consumption. Some people then tried to force the expired biscuits into his mouth while accusing him of protecting the shopkeeper. The incident comes as the Maharashtra FDA intensifies its crackdown on food safety violations across the state. In recent weeks, officials have conducted a series of inspections targeting food adulteration, the sale of expired products and other safety lapses. (With inputs from Mohsin Sheikh)
The controversy began after a two-year-old child fell ill and experienced dizziness after eating savoury snack mix purchased from the shop, according to local residents.
