A viral video showing how expiry dates can be wiped off popular beverage cans with common hand sanitizer is sparking new safety concerns among consumers and prompting calls for stricter regulations on product labeling.

A widely circulated social media video demonstrates a critical vulnerability in product packaging: printed freshness dates can be easily removed, allowing expired goods to be fraudulently relabeled. This incident directly challenges consumer trust, raising serious questions about the reliability of freshness dates and the potential health risks from consuming out-of-date products. It highlights a significant gap in current packaging standards, particularly amidst rising concerns over food safety and integrity.

What We Know So Far

  • A video posted by social media user Divya Gandotra Tandon demonstrates that expiry dates on beverage cans from major brands like Coca-Cola, Fanta, and Red Bull can be easily erased using hand sanitizer and a tissue, according to a report from food.ndtv.com.
  • The user who created the video described the ease of removal as a "massive safety concern," warning it could enable scams and pose serious health risks to consumers.
  • The post has generated significant alarm online, with social media users expressing shock at the poor quality of the ink and noting that the deliberate "erasing [of a] batch code... is a crime."
  • The concerns raised by the video are amplified by recent enforcement actions. In a separate case reported by The Hans India, three individuals were recently held for allegedly repackaging and selling expired food products.
  • During that operation, authorities reportedly seized a large stock of expired food items, underscoring that the sale of such goods is an active and ongoing problem.

Beverage Can Expiry Date Removal: How a Viral Video Exposed a Potential Flaw

Social media user Divya Gandotra Tandon's video methodically exposes a startlingly simple flaw: she applies a small amount of alcohol-based hand sanitizer to the printed expiry date on the bottom of several well-known beverage cans. With minimal effort, using only a tissue, the ink dissolves and wipes away completely, leaving no trace of the original manufacturing or "best by" information. This demonstration, repeated on cans of Coca-Cola, Fanta, and Red Bull, suggests the ink used may be a common type across the industry.