‘Roaches, rodent droppings’: Zepto, Blinkit, Instamart outlets in Maharashtra face action

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the licences of 14 online food delivery establishments, including outlets operated by Zepto, Blinkit and Instamart, after a statewide inspection drive found serious food safety and hygiene violations.

The drive, conducted on 13 August, covered 86 establishments selling food through online platforms. The FDA issued improvement notices to 60 establishments and ordered one to immediately halt business activity.

Of the 14 suspended licences, five were of Blinkit outlets, five of Zepto, two of Instamart and one each of Bhagwati Stores and Swinsta ENT Pvt Ltd, which also operates an Instamart outlet.

Inspectors reported violations including rodent droppings, cockroach infestations and expired food stock. Several Mumbai outlets were found with rusted storage racks, food stored directly on the floor, poor segregation of food and non-food items, and failure to follow FIFO/FEFO stock rotation norms.

At a Blink Commerce outlet in Ghatkopar, the establishment scored 34 out of 74 in the inspection.

Officials cited an open toilet door, rotten vegetables, cockroach infestation and failure to display its FSSAI licence.

A RAJIDI Retail unit in Bandra West was reportedly found with large quantities of rodent droppings near food packets and a lizard infestation. An FDA official said RAJIDI and Bhagwati were different names under which Instamart was operating.

In Pune, licences of a Zepto outlet in Lohegaon and a Swinsta ENT unit at Warje Jakat Naka were suspended over cold-chain failures and cockroach infestations.

At a Blinkit store in Karad, Satara, 125 delivery riders were found without identity cards or medical fitness records. The FDA halted the store’s two-wheeler delivery operations until the deficiencies are rectified.