Now Reading: 14 licences suspended for Blinkit, Zepto, Instamart by Maharashtra FDA
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14 licences suspended for Blinkit, Zepto, Instamart by Maharashtra FDA
Maharashtra FDA suspended 14 food business licences after a statewide inspection of 86 quick-commerce facilities on August 13. Five were linked to Blinkit, five to Zepto, and two to Instamart, along with…
The Story in Brief
Maharashtra FDA suspended 14 food business licences after a statewide inspection of 86 quick-commerce facilities on August 13. Five were linked to Blinkit, five to Zepto, and two to Instamart, along with Bhagwati Store and Swinsta ENT Pvt Ltd. Inspectors found expired products, cockroach and rodent infestations, improper cold-chain storage, and missing medical records for workers. In Mumbai, a Blinkit facility in Malad had a chiller at 6°C and 40 handlers without medical checks; a Ghatkopar unit scored 46% with rotten vegetables and dirty racks. A Zepto facility in Pune stored products beyond 'Use By' dates. The FDA issued 60 improvement notices and ordered one establishment to halt operations.
The Indian Opinion
Quick commerce sells convenience, and customers have lapped it up. But the FDA's inspection reports, cockroaches, rotten vegetables, expired chicken stored at the wrong temperature, puncture the sleek app-based narrative. Claims that these are mere 'improvement notices for minor lapses' do not hold when 14 of 86 inspected units lost their licences on the spot. The real test will be whether Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart clean up their dark stores before the next surprise raid, or just fight the suspensions in court.
Sources (3): ndtvprofit.com, rediff.com, indiatoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
