Amazon is reviewing findings by Karnataka food inspectors who seized allegedly mislabelled and expired food products from two of the company’s food storage and supply units in Bengaluru, as Indian authorities intensify enforcement checks across restaurants, clubs, warehouses and major brands.
The Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that inspections at the two Amazon facilities found products worth a combined $59,000 with “incorrect/inadequate” labelling or past their expiry date. Officials also seized medicines valued at $4,232 that they said were being stored without a valid licence.
Amazon said on Wednesday that it was reviewing the inspection findings and would take necessary steps based on the observations. “We have robust systems and controls designed to prevent products that do not meet applicable regulatory requirements from being listed on amazon.in or entering our fulfilment centers,” the company said in response to a request for comment.
The inspection places scrutiny on the systems used to receive, store and supply food and other regulated products through large e-commerce fulfilment networks. The findings announced by the state regulator relate to products held at the inspected units; the supplied report does not identify the individual brands or products involved.
An industry source said Amazon was strengthening its internal controls to ensure that similar lapses do not recur. The company has not said whether the products were listed for sale, how long they had been stored at the facilities or whether any consumer complaints were linked to the inspection findings.
The Bengaluru checks are part of a wider enforcement campaign by federal and state officials in recent months. Authorities have raided clubs, restaurants and major brands including Domino’s and McDonald’s as part of the nationwide crackdown, according to the report.
The action also follows a separate raid by a regulator in another state at an unrelated warehouse in Mumbai. In that case, officials alleged that false nutritional details and expiry dates were being added to products made by PepsiCo, Nestle, Unilever and Coca-Cola to make them export ready. Those companies have not commented on the matter.
The Karnataka regulator has not disclosed in the supplied findings what further action, if any, will follow against the Bengaluru facilities. Amazon’s review and any subsequent steps by the food-safety authorities will determine how the observations are addressed.
