Long back,my neighbour wanted me verify if this statement on a pack of “kurkure'(Indian manufacture) is right,
“ Expiry date is 9 months from the date of Packing for Middle eastern customers”.
This was just printed on the side of the pack and I was sure it was not by manufacturers but by these Indian Super/Hyper markets.The expiry date by manufacturer is actually 4 months from date of packing,the pack she had was expired,but this statement claimed a longer period of expiry and the taste was pretty bad that anyone can vouch it expired.
Recently i came across these Lays packets(Rs.20 pack in India),which were packed in right from September till December and was on a promotional sale of 200 fils (1000 fils =120 INR) each.I was really annoyed by this kind of sale.I wanted to find one packet which is recently packed and it is well within expiry as mentioned by Lays India,but i could get my hands on.
Yesterday when I went for some shopping i found the sale was closed and those expired packets were on the usual shelf.This time i could get my hands on brand new ‘Kurkure’ packs and I just checked in price checker,it was 400 fils.So if you dare to eat expired ones you will get it at half price.
Am actually pretty disturbed by this considering that only Indian stores sell one like this and got too many questions,
1. Who prints this kind of statement in it?
2.Pepsico India has any involvement in this?
3. Those expired packs in India are just shipped across here?
4.How much legal it is to bring some item which is not specified as export pack or meant to be sold only in India? What are they really bypassing?( I have seen some Sakthi masala food items(not an export pack) in Singapore too)
5.Why those expired packs are sold at half price?(They should be trashed is it not?)
6.What is the health ministry doing about this?
7.Why are we sometimes very blind at reading the expiry and food labels?
8.Is this happening across Middle east or only in Bahrain?
9. And why am i just blogging about this rather than to raise an issue across store or write to some concerned authority?
P.S: Even in India I had a bitter experience like this,once in Spencer’s Chennai there was an icecream on promotion, and only after we brought it home we realised it was expired.
In the Journey of life 
May 10, 2010 at 5:21 pm
That is ridiculous. Complain. If anything is on sale on food, the expiry date is near (in India as well). I have seen it in Indian stores in the US also. Maybe you can shoot a mail to Pepsico. The packs usually have a contact address for feedback.
After being bitten twice, now for anything and everything (incl. toothpaste :)), I tend to look at packing and expiry dates.
Health Ministry? (LOL) Which one? (But generally, it is a crime anywhere to sell expired stuff)
To be fair on Spencers, I was once not allowed to pick up unsalted butter (it was in the freezer and highly visible) because it had supposedly expired (and this during a time when butter was almost unavailable in the whole city).
May 10, 2010 at 10:34 pm
I will have to notice these details if i go sometime again.Tats a good practise,here they have some food and drug authority.
May 10, 2010 at 8:45 pm
No this happens all over..Not a different expirey date..as you see it..but selling expired goods for sure. One has to be very dilligent in looking at the date before buying stuff from the Indian store.. and if we complain they say..Madam take it for less.. 😦
May 10, 2010 at 10:36 pm
This is atrocious,even they are ready to sell expired goods @ reduced price,unagreeable.
May 11, 2010 at 4:21 am
OMG!!! crazy this is, you should complain and may be keep the packets as proof of some sort..
there are promotions here as well, but they clearly mention the promotion is on coz the said product is going to expire in say another couple of months.. (usually happens at the duty free shop at the airport for chocs)..
May 11, 2010 at 10:42 am
Am planning to buy one expired pack and get the batch no and contact info for complaining.
That case is always better.
May 11, 2010 at 8:48 am
This happens mostly during sale times!! And if u complain management just says that it happened by mistake.Now I am wary of buying during sale and combo packs.
BTW glad to know of a fellow blogger from Bahrain
May 11, 2010 at 10:43 am
Me too very glad about it.
Combo packs usually sucks.
May 11, 2010 at 9:14 am
Thatz ridiculous! U shud complain. I do check for the expiry pack of any item before I buy them and even complain if I find them in stores. Thankfully, Spencer’s did apologize last time and cleared them immediately!
May 11, 2010 at 10:44 am
Planning to do that.Spencers seems to be okie as ram also says so.
May 11, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Unfortunately this is a common problem with Indian goods sold overseas. This is because such exports are not handled by the company – the markets, even in the Middle East are too small for Indian companies to set up distributors and run an operation. So they do not sell in such countries. What usually happens is that small traders buy the product in India and then ship it out themselves overseas in lots as small as half a container. This is what finds its way overseas and often the led times are such that the product expires. Companies can do very little ; we as consumers have to be vigilant and not buy old stuff.
May 11, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Business pro speaking,had to agree.
But my confusion is,what they sell is not an export pack,they are selling something which is meant for Indian market and that too expired.
When there is a seperate Lays middle east division,how much it is correct to sell one like this?
Pls throw some light on this.
May 12, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Congrats on making it to the IndusLadies e-book 🙂
May 12, 2010 at 3:58 pm
I had just given my entries,thats it.
Is the e-book out?
May 13, 2010 at 3:37 pm
Yup it is 🙂
May 13, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Had just seen it.Thanks for informing me.