Bengaluru: Food safety officials have seized expired and mislabelled food products worth Rs 1.38 crore and medicines valued at around Rs 4 lakh from dark stores and storage facilities operated by online delivery platforms in Bengaluru, officials said.

The inspections were carried out by the Food Safety and Drugs Administration following directions from Karnataka Health Minister U T Khader under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

Officials inspected food products sold through online and e-commerce platforms to check compliance with mandatory labelling requirements, including manufacturing and expiry dates, shelf life and other food safety standards. They also checked whether medicines were being stored without the required licences.

Speaking to reporters, Khader said the department had uncovered a network allegedly involved in procuring expired and mislabelled products and supplying them to shops at lower prices. He warned of "zero tolerance" towards such violations.

Khader said the inspection drive was launched after the department received information on social media about a "peptide party" planned in Bengaluru.

The event reportedly offered "peptide tastings", involving short chains of amino acids marketed for fitness, anti-ageing and recovery purposes.

The organisers were issued a notice, appeared before officials and later cancelled the event, the minister said.

According to Khader, the organisers initially claimed that the event was aimed at promoting a hair serum and other products. They later told officials that the products had been sourced from an Amazon dark store.

"From there, our team went and inspected. They did not have a licence to sell drugs," he said.

The inspection at the Amazon facility led officials to premises near Lingarajapuram, where products worth more than Rs 45 lakh were allegedly found to be expired or improperly labelled.

Khader said the establishment was allegedly procuring expired products, selling them to shops at lower prices and replacing the original MRP or expiry-date stickers with fresh ones.

"This is a network where big companies, when products reach their expiry date, sell them at a discount to smaller players. From there, they sell them to shops. The shops get more margin and may not look at the quality. This ultimately affects the health of children and other people. We are serious about this," the minister said.

Khader said officials had been instructed to initiate strict action under existing laws against those found violating regulations.

The minister also said the Karnataka government was considering discussions with the Centre and other states to improve coordination on food and drug safety.

He said Karnataka wanted to convene a national-level meeting of food safety officers and commissioners to discuss the issue and would approach the Union Health Ministry and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on the need to update existing rules.

According to a department statement, food products worth Rs 14 lakh with incorrect or inadequate labelling and expired food products worth Rs 10 lakh were seized from Amazon's BLR6 facility at Hitech Defence and Aerospace Park in Devanahalli.

Drugs worth Rs 2,45,352, allegedly stored without a licence, were also seized from the facility, the statement said.

At Amazon's BLR7 facility in Anekal taluk, officials seized food products worth Rs 19 lakh with incorrect or inadequate labelling and expired food products worth Rs 13 lakh. Medicines worth Rs 1.57 lakh that were allegedly stored without a licence were also seized.

The department also detected expired food products at Saptha Bazaar in HBR Layout after receiving a complaint that the establishment was purchasing groceries, milk, vegetables, curd and other food products from online delivery agencies and reselling expired items.

Food Safety Officers seized expired products including cashew biscuits, ragi flour, chicken patties, paneer, cookies, nuts, eggs and flour worth around Rs 10,000, it said.

"During the inspection conducted at Leo 7 Enterprises, located in Lingarajapuram, Bengaluru, it was found that various food products, including nutritional products, beverages, chocolates, sweets, ghee and nuts and seeds, which were either expired or nearing expiry, were being stored," Srinivas K, Commissioner of Food Safety and Drugs Administration, said in the statement.

The owner told officials that food products worth approximately Rs 56 lakh were stored at the premises. The establishment was subsequently sealed, officials said.

"During the inspection of the Instamart facility located in Hoskote, Bengaluru Rural district, expired food products worth Rs 42 lakh were seized," he said.

The facility was closed over unhygienic conditions and violations of the Food Safety and Standards Act and applicable rules, he said.

The department said the operation resulted in the seizure of food products with incorrect or inadequate labelling worth Rs 33 lakh and expired or near-expiry food products worth Rs 1.05 crore. The total value of seized food products stood at Rs 1.38 crore.

Medicines stored without licences and valued at Rs 4.02 lakh were also seized, it said.

The department said its investigation at the Instamart facility was continuing, with expired and mislabelled products valued at around Rs 1 crore being examined.