New Delhi: India is intensifying food safety enforcement as regulators investigate hygiene violations, suspected adulteration and labelling problems involving restaurants, factories, warehouses and packaged food businesses.
The enforcement drive has highlighted problems involving parts of the country's food supply chain and raised questions about whether regulators can keep pace with a rapidly changing food industry.
Government data presented to Parliament show that 223,808 food samples were analysed across India during the 2025 to 2026 financial year. Of these, 40,023 were found to be non conforming. The figures are provisional and may change after further laboratory testing and court proceedings.
The term non conforming includes samples classified as unsafe, substandard or affected by labelling and other violations. The figures do not mean that one in five foods consumed in India is unsafe because they concern tested samples and include different types of violations.
The latest enforcement drive has produced several high profile cases.
In Maharashtra, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has led thousands of inspections since taking charge in May. By the end of July, his department had carried out more than 3,100 inspections across the state, suspended around 300 licences and issued more than 1,000 improvement notices.
A new complaints portal had also received more than 16,000 complaints during its first three months, according to figures cited by Mundhe.
The campaign has also exposed alleged problems involving packaged food.
In a recent raid at a warehouse in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra authorities found food products made by major international companies, including PepsiCo, Nestlé, Unilever and Coca Cola. Officials alleged that expiry dates and nutritional information on some products had been altered.
The products were being handled by Sadhana Enterprises, the company operating the warehouse. Available reporting does not indicate that PepsiCo, Nestlé, Unilever or Coca Cola carried out the alleged relabelling.
Officials said some of the products were intended for export. Canada's food inspection agency has been assessing whether the operation posed any risk to Canadian imports. It has not been established that the allegedly relabelled products reached Canadian consumers.
Another case has involved CG Foods India, part of Nepal's CG Corp Global, which produces Wai Wai products.
India's food safety regulator ordered the company to stop production of certain bhujia products after an inspection at its facility in Roopangarh in Ajmer, Rajasthan. Officials reported hygiene and processing violations and said broken noodles collected from the floor were being reused in production.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India said it seized 32,107.2 kilograms of stock and detained 1,925 boxes of expired finished products. Samples were also collected for laboratory testing and further legal action was initiated.
The crackdown also comes as India's food economy changes rapidly, with quick commerce expanding the use of warehouses and rapid delivery networks. Regulators are also facing new questions over the labelling of energy drinks and other packaged products.
At the same time, India is considering stronger information for consumers on packaged food.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has proposed a red, hexagonal warning label for packaged products that are high in at least two of three nutrients: added sugar, salt and saturated fat.
The proposal is part of a wider debate over how consumers should receive clearer information about packaged foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fat.
The proposed system has faced criticism from both sides.
Public health activists argue that the requirement for two nutrients could allow some products that are high in only one concerning nutrient to avoid a warning. Food companies, meanwhile, argue that the proposed thresholds could result in warning labels appearing on a large number of packaged products.
The issue is now before India's Supreme Court, with a hearing expected on September 10.
The crackdown involves both the national regulator and state authorities. India's government has said that implementation and enforcement of food safety law is a shared responsibility of the central government and the states.
Maharashtra has become one of the most visible centres of the enforcement drive under Mundhe. However, food safety actions have also been reported in other parts of the country, including operations by the national regulator.
The strict approach has also faced criticism and legal challenges, with some businesses questioning aspects of the enforcement process. Courts have in some cases reviewed or overturned regulatory actions, highlighting the need to balance strong food safety enforcement with proper procedures for businesses.
The scale of the problem remains difficult to measure. The number of non conforming samples does not show how many unsafe products reached consumers, while individual enforcement operations cannot by themselves establish the condition of India's entire food industry.
The campaign nevertheless highlights a broader challenge for India. Its food market includes traditional food sellers, small restaurants, large domestic manufacturers, multinational companies, online retailers and rapidly expanding delivery platforms.
As this system becomes more complex, regulators face the task of ensuring that food is safe while also making sure that businesses are treated fairly and that enforcement follows due process.
For consumers, the central issue is increasingly clear: they need confidence not only that the food they buy is safe, but also that the information printed on the package accurately describes what they are purchasing.