Now Reading: FSSAI penalises Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, BigBasket
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FSSAI penalises Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, BigBasket
The Story in Brief
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has initiated penal proceedings against e-commerce platforms Amazon, Swiggy Instamart, BigBasket, Flipkart India and Zepto for regulatory violations including misbranding, misleading claims and the sale of prohibited products, the regulator announced on Wednesday, 23 September.
All five platforms face action over misleading claims on Happilo Premium Date Bites, Zesty Orange. Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket were also cited over three Milky Mist dairy products. Separately, Amazon, Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket were found selling Datura (Dhatura) fruits and seeds, a restricted item under the FSS Act, 2006.
FSSAI said it had intensified enforcement against food business operators over the past six months and is now using social media to publicise actions. Emailed queries to the companies received no immediate response, news agency PTI reported.
Update, 30 September 2026: New reports from Times Now and ET confirm the five platforms are Amazon, Swiggy Instamart, BigBasket, Flipkart India and Zepto. Inc42 adds context: Maharashtra FDA suspended 14 dark-store licences in August, and Karnataka sealed a Zepto warehouse. All sources list the same three violation categories, misbranding, misleading claims, and sale of prohibited items, adding no new facts.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Times Now uses the action to plug its own campaign on e-commerce transparency, others publish the PTI wire or a close rewrite, all listing the same three violation categories and five platforms. NDTV Profit and ET are similarly straight. The uniform coverage reflects a regulator-originated press release, not editorial investigation. No outlet adds company responses beyond confirming emailed queries went unanswered. The real test is enforcement follow-through, including potential fines or product delisting, which no source specifies.
Coverage: 8 sources, 7 neutral, 1 sensationalist
Sources (8): ndtvprofit.com (neutral report), livemint.com (neutral report), siasat.com (neutral report), timesnownews.com (sensationalist), ndtv.com (neutral report), rediff.com (neutral report), inc42.com (neutral report), economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 8 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
