Missing ‘best-before’ dates at Pune sweet shops raise consumer concerns

3 min readJul 26, 2026 07:34 PM IST Many outlets no longer mention best-before dates after FSSAI made the labelling requirement voluntary. (Express Photo)Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raids in Pune have surged recently, driven by a new online grievance portal and the statewide “Safe Food, Safe Drug, Safe Maharashtra” campaign. But a closer look at the city’s sweet shops reveals a gap that the campaign has yet to close.A “voluntary’ rule from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has led many shops to stop displaying the best-before date on loose sweet trays. In several places, even basic price tags are missing – leaving customers with little way to judge freshness, quality, or cost before buying. “In the period right after the Covid pandemic, once the FSSAI mandate