Ranchi: The district administration has directed retailers, wholesalers and other food business operators to withdraw stocks of 115 food products flagged by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for alleged misleading claims, improper labelling and other violations.Food safety officials have been asked to conduct inspections across the district and ensure that the identified products are neither sold nor stored. Stockists and distributors have also been instructed to take back the products from retail outlets and return them to the companies.The products under scrutiny include milk biscuits, chocolate-filled confectionery eggs, heart-health cooking oil, caffeinated beverages, sports drinks, chocolate pies, heartcare food supplements and sugar-free ice cream, among others. Some caffeinated beverages were reportedly labelled as “energy drinks” or “sports drinks”, a practice the regulator has questioned.Ranchi additional chief medical officer in-charge Amarendra Prasad said officials had been directed to maintain regular field inspections and ensure that the sale of the flagged products was stopped.Ranchi food safety officer Pawan Kumar said action would also be taken if any of the products were found to be manufactured in the district. “Retailers and wholesalers have been asked to return the products wherever they are found during inspections,” he said.The enforcement drive follows directions issued by the state food safety authorities after FSSAI notices to food business operators over alleged violations of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, including misleading claims, non-compliant labelling and, in some cases, manufacture without valid licences. The state has sought action taken reports from districts.Retailers said the exercise could lead to losses and stock management problems, particularly where payments had already been made to distributors.Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, misbranding can attract a penalty of up to Rs 3 lakh, while misleading advertisements can invite a penalty of up to Rs 10 lakh. These are statutory maximum penalties and would apply after the relevant violation is established.
