Timeline: Adulterated food cases and enforcement actions across India (2025-2026)

Seven children from a Ganduri village family in Haryana’s Nuh district were hospitalised after consuming adulterated Cham Cham sweets; among them were Sofaid (16), Ajuba (15), Sofia (10), Sanofia (8), Samar (4), Samreen (2), and Ruhaan (5). One child was in critical condition; five others were referred to Nalhar Medical College Hospital. Police said no written complaint had yet been filed, and authorities are pursuing action.

District health officer Dr. Ashish Chawla launched a food safety van campaign from April 7 to 21 for on-the-spot testing and awareness, as part of a broader crackdown to strengthen consumer protections in Telangana.

A cluster of patients with acute kidney failure was reported from Chowdeswaranagar and Swaroopanagar in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district. Laboratory findings confirmed 16 deaths due to multi-organ failure triggered by ethylene glycol contamination in milk. Milk supplied to over 100 families from a Narasapuram dairy unit under Korukonda mandal was identified as the suspected source; supply was halted. A police raid led to the confiscation of paneer worth about Rs 3 lakh; 64 people were arrested and 61 cases registered. Machinery, industrial-grade acetic acid, and palm oil worth Rs 28 lakh were seized. A case was filed against supplier Mahesh Sharma under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 274, 275, and 318(4).

In Ludhiana, more than 16 percent of tested dairy samples failed quality assurance. Of 1,164 samples tested up to February 2026, 188 were substandard or unsafe. Paneer accounted for 39.6 percent of failures, milk for 19 percent; most failing paneer samples were from local dairies. Data covers January 2024 onward and indicates a continuing pattern of adulteration in dairy products.

In 2025, Hyderabad recorded over 8,000 cases of acute gastroenteritis linked to food poisoning, with at least three deaths and hundreds of hospitalisations, underscoring the health risks associated with contaminated foods.

GHMC conducted 9,656 inspections across Hyderabad, covering less than one-fifth of the city’s nearly 75,000 eateries. About 3,500 samples were collected; 65 violations were found (under 2% of inspections). Roughly 40% of establishments received improvement notices; licences were rarely cancelled (one in 2024–25). 125 violation cases were settled with penalties, with no convictions. Officials cited staff shortages, limited testing capacity (one shared lab in Nacharam for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh), and penalties up to Rs 5 lakh as limiting deterrence. Hyderabad has around 25,000 licensed eateries and about 50,000 unorganised units.