Maharashtra FDA suspends licences of Zepto, Blinkit, Otters Club over hygiene lapses

Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suspended the food licences of two Blinkit facilities in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Tuesday after inspections found cold-chain failures, expired ghee, tobacco products stored alongside food, and missing hygiene certificates. Earlier, the FDA suspended the licence of a Zepto warehouse in Mumbai's Chembur after inspectors found meat stored at 9 degrees Celsius instead of the mandated 5 degrees, frozen items at minus 11 instead of minus 18, cockroach-prone conditions, and oil-spilt floors.

In Mumbai, the FDA also suspended the licence of Otters Club in Bandra after finding analogue paneer labelled as regular paneer, broken tiles, blocked drains, and missing edible-oil test records. The crackdown covered Pune between August 14 and 17, where 40 establishments were inspected, 36 improvement notices were issued, and one licence was suspended. Prohibited products worth Rs 10.07 lakh were seized, three FIRs registered, and seven people arrested, according to FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe. The Statewide drive has now spread to quick-commerce dark stores, restaurants, and bakeries in multiple cities.

The FDA has directed Blinkit not to operate from the two suspended premises until violations are rectified. Zepto's Chembur facility remains closed. Over 800 food-safety cases are pending in courts across the country.