Sindh Food Authority seizes expired beverages from Hyderabad warehouse

KARACHI: The Sindh Food Authority (SFA) said it recovered a large stock of expired beverages during a raid on a warehouse in the Hali Road area on Tuesday as part of its campaign against the sale and consumption of expired food items.

SFA Deputy Director Fida Khoso told The Express Tribune that officials seized between 25,000 and 30,000 bottles belonging to leading beverage companies during the operation. He said the action also resulted in the sealing of the warehouse and the imposition of a Rs300,000 fine.

According to Khoso, the owner of the warehouse, Noor Ahmed, attempted to convince the raiding team that the consignment had not been stored for sale in the market. Khoso said the owner claimed the beverages were meant to be returned to the manufacturing companies. "He tried to make us believe that the beverages were supposed to be exchanged with the manufacturing companies," Khoso said.

The SFA official further said the authority learned during the raid that the expiry dates on the entire stock were being altered at the godown. Despite the owner's explanation, the food authority did not accept the claim and took the entire stock into custody.

As per details, the seized consignment included both small and large bottles of different leading bottlers. After being confiscated, the bottles were transported to a large vacant plot, where the contents were emptied out.

Action under food safety rules

The Sindh Food Authority does not immediately register first information reports in such cases. Instead, suspected violators of food safety regulations are issued two show-cause notices in addition to financial penalties.

However, persistent non-compliance with the law can lead to the registration of FIRs, according to the authority's procedure described by the official.

The raid was carried out as part of the SFA's ongoing drive targeting expired food and beverage items. The authority said the action was aimed at preventing the sale and consumption of products that had passed their expiry date.

No further details were provided in the report about the brands involved or whether any additional action would be taken beyond the sealing of the facility, the fine, and the issuance of notices under the applicable rules.