Mangaluru
Food safety officials conducted a surprise inspection at a Blinkit store in Bejai, Mangaluru, following social media claims that 200-gram packets of KMF’s Nandini paneer were showing a shelf life of one year.
The inspection was carried out following directions from Health Minister U.T. Khader and State Food Safety Commissioner Srinivas. Officials checked the available stock of Nandini 200-gram paneer packets at the outlet to verify the claims circulating online.
During the inspection, officials confirmed that the actual shelf life of the paneer was 30 days, or one month. They also checked the manufacturing and expiry details printed on the packets and found no expired products among the stock inspected at the store.
According to officials, the confusion arose because of the format used to print the manufacturing date on the packets. The date is printed using a dot-matrix or laser-printing method, which produces a dotted appearance. Because of this printing style, some consumers reportedly misread the year “2026” as “2025”.
The misunderstanding subsequently led to social media posts claiming that the paneer had been given an unusually long shelf life of one year. The posts created confusion among consumers and prompted authorities to verify the products at the retail outlet.
Food safety officials clarified that the Nandini paneer packets inspected at the Bejai Blinkit store were within their valid shelf life. They also stated that no quality-related issue was found with the products during the inspection.
Authorities have urged consumers to carefully check the manufacturing and expiry dates printed on packaged food products before drawing conclusions. They also advised people not to believe or circulate unverified information on social media.
The inspection was conducted as part of efforts to address the public concern surrounding the viral claims and establish the actual shelf life of the Nandini paneer available at the outlet. Officials said the printing format had contributed to the misunderstanding and asked consumers to rely on the dates printed on the packaging rather than social media claims.