Kerala consumer panel orders bakery to pay Rs 15,160 over expired Diet Coke tins
A Kerala district consumer commission ordered a bakery to refund Rs 160 and pay Rs 15,160 in compensation after it sold four expired Diet Coke cans to a customer.
A consumer commission in Kerala ruled that Dhanusri Bengaluru Bakery in Mulugu must reimburse a customer Rs 160 for four expired Diet Coke tins and pay additional compensation of Rs 10,000 for mental distress and Rs 5,000 for litigation costs, totaling Rs 15,160. The purchaser discovered the cans were past their August 9, 2025 expiry date and reported the matter to police before approaching the commission. The bakery’s owner allegedly offered a hush-money sum of Rs 2,000, which the buyer rejected.
The bench, comprising President G. Nagaraju and member B. Raji Reddy, noted the bakery and its staff failed to appear or contest the allegations, attributing the deficiency of service to them alone. Coca-Cola India’s defense that it neither manufactured nor sold the product was accepted, and the complaint against it was dismissed. The panel also directed the bakery to deposit Rs 10,000 with the Consumer Welfare Fund of the Telangana State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
Why it matters
It underscores retailer responsibility for selling expired food and reinforces consumer protection enforcement.
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