Now Reading: Karnataka suspends Amazon, Instamart, BigBasket food licences over datura
-
01
Karnataka suspends Amazon, Instamart, BigBasket food licences over datura
Karnataka suspends Amazon, Instamart, BigBasket food licences over datura
Karnataka's Food Safety and Drugs Administration Department has suspended the food licences of Amazon, Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket until further orders. The action follows the discovery of datura fruits and seeds listed…
Karnataka's Food Safety and Drugs Administration Department has suspended the food licences of Amazon, Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket until further orders. The action follows the discovery of datura fruits and seeds listed for sale as food on the platforms. Datura is a toxic plant whose consumption can cause serious health risks.
During hearings, Amazon did not submit a response, Instamart asked for more time, and BigBasket said it had stopped selling datura and would relabel products as not for human consumption. The regulator deemed the explanations unsatisfactory. Suppliers providing datura to the platforms also face licence suspension. The platforms must remove all datura listings and submit compliance reports before separate hearings decide whether to lift the suspensions.
Indian Opinion Analysis
All six sources report the same core facts in a neutral, wire-service style, with no discernible pro-government, critical, or sensationalist framing. The coverage uniformly emphasises the regulator's action and the companies' inadequate responses, without adding editorial judgement. The story reflects growing regulatory scrutiny of quick-commerce platforms: earlier this month, Maharashtra suspended 14 licences linked to Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart. The department will hold separate hearings once compliance reports are received, deciding whether the suspensions become permanent.
Coverage: 6 sources, 6 neutral
Sources (6): livemint.com (neutral report), news.abplive.com (neutral report), economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report), indiatvnews.com (neutral report), thehindubusinessline.com (neutral report), inc42.com (neutral report)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 6 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 6 sources.
