FSSAI May Conduct 'Surprise Inspection' at Quick Commerce Dark Stores

The central government has started considering increased surveillance on rapid delivery platforms amid rising hygiene issues flagged by food safety and health regulators. Authorities have taken note of recent food safety complaints amid poor sanitary conditions at dark stores, according to a report published by The Economic Times.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is likely to spearhead the government’s crackdown on hygiene violations in the food delivery and quick commerce sectors, said officials. The agency is preparing to ramp up surprise inspections at dark stores and other storage facilities across the country.

“It’s a work in progress…the government has been receiving several complaints from consumers as well as retailers and vendors. It’s a serious issue that multiple departments will need to work together towards to address,” the official said, as quoted by ET.

This development came on the heels of raids conducted by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at dark stores operated by Zepto and Blinkit in Mumbai and Pune.

The inspections revealed several breaches of food safety standards and poor hygiene conditions, prompting authorities to suspend the licences of the affected warehouse operators.

The authorities noted that the Blinkit facility had also violated food‑safety regulations. They found food stored on the floor, a missing pest‑control audit certificate, personnel in the food section not wearing protective caps, food placed on dusty racks, and no calibration certificate in the cold‑storage room.

Similarly, the agency stated that the infractions at Zepto's Dharavi facility included fungal growth on food articles, food storage near stagnant water, failure to maintain cold‑storage temperature and expired food items mixed with the main stock.

Crackdown on Quick Commerce

This is not the first time that a quick commerce platform came under scrutiny over food safety standards. In November 2024, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had requested that all quick commerce and e-commerce platforms comply with food safety standards.

The food safety regulator asked the platforms to comply with the norm of the Food Safety and Standards Amendment Regulations 2020.

Under the provisions of the act, sellers and platforms should list and deliver food items that have a minimum of 30% of their shelf life remaining, or at least 45 days before the expiration date.

It also asked them to prioritise training delivery personnel in proper food handling practices. Additionally, the should conduct medical testing for the delivery staff.