Food Safety Department seizes 24,000 bottles of expired soft drinks in Chennai

A team of officials of the Food Safety Department on Monday raided a godown at Pulianthope and seized nearly 24,000 bottles of branded soft drinks that had expired in 2020 and 2021 but were being distributed to shops and TASMAC bars. The raid led the team to a soft drink manufacturing unit in Perambur which had violated manufacturing protocols.

1. Satheesh Kumar, designated officer, Food Safety Department, Chennai, who led the four-member team, said based on information that expired beverages were stocked and supplied from the godown, they raided the facility being operated on the erstwhile Binny Mills premises in Pulianthope.

“We found 24,315 bottles of branded soft drinks that had crossed the expiry dates. Some bottles had expiry dates in 2020, while the majority had expired in 2021. They had mixed and kept some bottles that had not crossed the expiry date. This godown is one of the main distribution units,” he said.

“On inquiry, we obtained information that more than to shops, these expired beverages were supplied to TASMAC bars,” he said.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/food-safety-department-seizes-24000-bottles-of-expired-soft-drinks-in-chennai/article65070721.ece