Bombay HC orders Amazon give Bhiwandi expired items to FDA
Amazon has been ordered by the Bombay High Court to give all expired and perished items from its Bhiwandi warehouse to the concerned Maharashtra Food and Drug Authority (FDA) officer for scientific disposal.
This comes after Amazon got into a legal tussle with the FDA, which had suspended and then canceled the warehouse's license over claims of sending expired food into the retail market instead of destroying it.
The court also wants the FDA to officially respond by August 27.
Court faults FDA, makes Amazon pay
The court wasn't impressed with how quickly the FDA acted, saying its approach was like "trying to kill a mosquito with a sword" since it skipped important steps before suspending Amazon's license and issuing a show-cause notice before canceling it.
Now, Amazon has to cover all costs for getting rid of those expired and perished goods.
Tukaram Mundhe leads FDA raids
This strict action is part of a bigger push on food safety led by Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Tukaram Mundhe, who took charge in May.
Since then, the FDA has been in the news for a slew of raids on food establishments, including some famous eateries, since IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe was appointed at its helm in May.