A viral video from Kanpur’s Panki industrial area shows crowds scavenging cartons of expired chocolates dumped at a garbage site, allegedly by a nearby factory. Many people, unaware or dismissive of the expiry dates, loaded the sweets onto bikes and carts. The incident has sparked health concerns, criticism of improper disposal, and a police probe into how the products were discarded.
IN A VIDEO going viral on social media, many people are shown gathered at a garbage dumping site, picking up chocolates. The dumping site in question is near the Panki highway area in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. In the video, a large crowd is seen picking up colourful boxes of chocolates and collecting them in cartons, sacks, bags, and other containers. These chocolates were allegedly thrown by a nearby chocolate factory after they had expired.
Someone recorded the video and posted it on social media, which shocked many people, with questions being raised about why the chocolates were disposed of in this manner and why people were collecting the expired products. All these chocolate boxes were reportedly past their expiry date and unfit for sale. The video was recorded four days ago and shows people leaving on bicycles, motorcycles and on foot after collecting the chocolates.
The person who filmed the whole incident said that he was passing through the Panki industrial area when he saw a truck unloading cartons filled with chocolates at the dumping ground. Tons of chocolates that were past their expiry dates were discarded in the area. As people realized that the chocolates were being thrown into the garbage, a large crowd gathered to collect them.
Many people who gathered there to collect the chocolates did not even check the packages and were unaware that the food was expired. They simply collected everything in large sacks and cartons before leaving with the chocolates. As per NDTV, the person who recorded the video also tried to warn people that the chocolates had expired, but his warnings were largely ignored.
The incident has raised further concerns about the health of the people who collected the chocolates. Many people also questioned why the chocolates were thrown away in such a manner instead of being disposed of properly. They pointed out that this could cause serious health issues if expired food is discarded in open spaces where members of the public can retrieve it.
There are no official statements from the authorities yet explaining how the chocolates reached the dumping site or confirming their expiry dates. The Times of India quoted DCP West SM Qasim Abidi as saying that the video of the expired chocolates had come to the authorities' attention and that the officer-in-charge of Panki Police Station had been asked to investigate the matter.
The incident has sparked several questions on social media, with many people expressing shock over how the situation occurred and why people were collecting the expired chocolates. One person questioned the disposal of expired food products and said, “Expired food should be incinerated or put into bio-waste. The factory should be fined for improper disposal.”
Another wrote, “Why no FIR is filed for not destroying the time-barred chocolates and throwing them to the public as if throwing them to dogs?”
Another person blamed the company for the incident, writing, “This is 100% fault of the company. This is not how you dispose expired food products. You are supposed to destroy/deface it, not dump it in an open area like garbage. People will obviously pick it up. Expired chocolate is a health hazard, not charity. The company should be booked for this irresponsible disposal.”
Some other people tried to predict what those who collected the chocolates might do with them. One person wrote, “Harsh truth - people sell their soul for 2.5k (Laadli Behna schemes) their value is limited to few rupees. They can’t think beyond that.” Another simply wrote, “They will sell it.”
One person questioned whether those collecting the chocolates could really be considered poor if they had motorcycles to transport the products.
Another account wrote, “There is a popular saying in Tamil, even if you are given phenyl for free, people would drink it. Here, even if you give poison for free (expired goods), people would consume it! Now the government has to form regulations for the disposal of expired goods (maybe it already has) but has to enforce it!”
(Edited by Harsh Pandey)
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