FMCG Distributors Seek Uniform Food Safety Norms for Blinkit, Zepto, Instamart Dark Stores

The All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) has called for a uniform regulatory framework for quick-commerce dark stores -- such as Zepto, Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart -- raising concerns over food-safety and hygiene violations reported during a recent inspection drive in Maharashtra, according to a report. A report by NDTV Profit said that the federation's remarks follow inspections by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at 86 establishments involved in online food storage and delivery.

The regulator suspended 14 food-business licences linked to Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart after finding deficiencies related to food storage, temperature control, cleanliness, pest management, worker hygiene and food handling, it added. In addition, the distributor body highlighted several incidents related to the quick commerce stores. For instance, a viral video that allegedly showed a live rat inside an ice-cream storage crate at a Blinkit outlet in Kalyan's Godrej Hill area. The federation said the incident raises questions about pest control, sanitation, stock inspection and preventive food-safety systems.

It also pointed to reports of expired food products being found at a Zepto outlet in Pune. “Consumers should not have to become food inspectors checking dates, packaging and storage conditions,” AICPDF National President Dhairyashil H. Patil said. Moreover, the distributor body has approached FSSAI and the Union Health Ministry seeking mandatory, scientifically determined storage and hygiene norms specifically for quick-commerce warehouses and dark stores, according to the report. Among its proposals is a scientific SKU-to-space framework under which minimum storage area would be linked to the number of stock-keeping units handled by a facility.

The federation has urged FSSAI to evaluate and standardise such norms. The proposed framework also includes requirements for adequate storage space, segregation of food categories, dedicated areas for damaged and expired products, cold-chain compliance, pest control, periodic audits and surprise inspections. “Quick commerce may promise delivery in 10 minutes, but food safety cannot operate on a 10-minute business model,” Patil said. The federation said it supports quick-commerce growth but wants uniform regulatory standards across traditional and digital retail channels, stressing that the same food-safety rules should apply to all operators.

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