The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the licences of 14 establishments linked to quick-commerce platforms including Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart after a state-wide inspection drive uncovered a range of food-safety and hygiene violations, including pest infestations and expired food.
Several handlers were reportedly not wearing headgear, aprons and gloves. At another Blinkit facility in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar at Shiv Shakti Heights near Patel Chowk, inspectors found inadequate drainage and waste-disposal arrangements, problems with temperature control for frozen products, unprotected lighting fixtures in an unpacked-food storage area and poor housekeeping. The inspection also found a cockroach infestation, damaged ceilings and flooring and inadequate segregation of food. The FDA suspended the licence of a Zepto facility in Pune’s Lohegaon after inspectors found several food-safety violations.
The inspections were carried out across Maharashtra on Thursday, with 86 establishments involved in the storage, sale and delivery of food through online platforms. The facility also did not have medical examination records for around 40 food handlers.
Some food products were being stored beyond their declared “Use By” dates.
