Serious concerns regarding packaged food quality control have surfaced in Himachal Pradesh after a resident documented live insects crawling inside a popular branded chocolate bar. The discovery has alarmed parents and daily shoppers who rely heavily on trusted commercial dairy labels for household snacks.
Discovery of Infestation Right After Opening the Bar
Sandeep Sharma, a resident of New Shimla, had purchased a 40-gram slab of Amul Dark Fruit and Nut chocolate from a retail counter located in the Una district on October 17, 2026. After returning home to Shimla, his son unwrapped the confection to consume it. Upon opening the outer packaging, the family was shocked to spot live worms actively moving across the edible surface.
Validity Stretched Until May 2027 Raises Packaging Concerns
The incident has drawn particular scrutiny because the confectionery was well within its stated shelf life. The manufacturer packaging clearly stamped the expiration date as May 2027, whereas the purchase occurred in October 2026. Finding crawling larvae in a sealed item months ahead of its best-before deadline exposes major vulnerabilities in sealing protocols, warehouse pest management, and factory hygiene standards.
Customer Support Inaction Prompts Formal Appeal to Food Regulators
According to Sharma, an immediate grievance was lodged through Amul's official customer care helpline. However, he alleges that the enterprise closed the grievance ticket arbitrarily without dispatching any representative to inspect the tainted item or offering a reasoned explanation. Retaining both the contaminated chocolate block and its original packaging as evidence, the consumer has formally petitioned the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, known as FSSAI, alongside civic administrators to examine the sample in an accredited laboratory and initiate appropriate regulatory action if hygiene norms were violated.
