FSSAI Cracks Down On Nepal’s Billionaire-Owned Wai Wai Bhujia Maker Over Unlicensed Production

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has initiated enforcement action against Nepali billionaire Binod Chaudhary-owned CG Foods India Pvt Ltd at its Roopangarh facility in Ajmer, Rajasthan.

The decision was taken after an inspection found food safety and regulatory violations, including unsafe processing, unlicensed bhujia manufacturing and the use of predated packaging, FSSAI said in a notice on Thursday.

Inspectors found the unit re-processing floor-collected, broken noodles into bhujia products without heat treatment, it said.

The regulator also found that the facility was manufacturing 'Wai-Wai MaMa' and 'Wai-Wai Mama Punte' bhujia variants without the required licence, in violation of Section 31(1) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

The food safety authority said it seized 32,107.2 kg of stock at the site, including loose broken noodles. It also detained 1,925 boxes of expired finished goods.

The inspection found hygiene and documentation shortcomings, including inadequate pest-control records, the regulator said.

Samples Sent For Laboratory Analysis

FSSAI said samples of loose noodle material, the two Veg Bhujia products, used cooking oil from the frying line and 'Wai-Wai Ready to Eat Noodles' were collected for laboratory analysis.

The company was directed to discontinue production of the Veg Bhujia Namkeen products without proper approvals and measures.

FSSAI said strict legal proceedings had been initiated against the food business operator.

Further regulatory action will depend on the laboratory results and inspection findings, in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

CG Foods Part Of Chaudhary’s Business Group

CG Foods India is part of CG Corp Global, the business group led by Nepali billionaire Binod Chaudhary, who is widely known as the 'Noodle King'.

The regulator's direction specifically covers the Veg Bhujia Namkeen products and requires production to stop unless the necessary approvals and measures are in place, as per a report by PTI.

The action comes amid increased scrutiny of food safety practices in India. Federal and state authorities have been taking enforcement measures against a range of food businesses over food safety, hygiene and labelling concerns.

Last week, Indian authorities raided an illegal operation in Mumbai that allegedly altered expiry dates and nutritional information on food products originally manufactured by PepsiCo, Nestle and other companies for export, as per Reuters.