Delhi High Court Orders In-Depth Probe into Expired Product Sales

In a recent court case, there were allegations of expired goods being resold, especially on e-commerce platforms, after altering their expiry dates. Despite concerns raised with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), no immediate action was taken. Hershey's, the chocolate company, took legal action against a seller accused of selling expired and counterfeit Hershey's chocolates.

Upon seizing the expired products, authorities found not just Hershey's items but also other expired goods and tools used to change expiry dates. Although the initial case focused on Hershey's, the seller's activities extended beyond that. Despite the FSSAI being aware of this, no official complaint had been filed. In response to these revelations, the court ordered a comprehensive investigation.

Hershey's was represented by Advocates Urfee Roomi, Janaki Arun, Anuja Chaudhury, Jaskaran Singh, and Ayush Dixit. The defendants were represented by Senior Advocate Raj Shekhar Rao and a team of advocates, while GNCTD had its representation through another set of advocates.

Justice Prathiba M Singh, after reviewing the evidence, expressed concern about the organized and systematic reintroduction of expired items into the market. Consequently, the Delhi High Court has issued an order for a detailed investigation into the repackaging and sale of expired food products in Delhi, including counterfeit Hershey’s chocolates.