The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has called for a meeting on Tuesday with leading quick commerce platforms, including Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, and Zepto, to address growing concerns over food safety violations in the delivery of packaged foods. This meeting comes amidst reports of lapses in compliance with food safety regulations, particularly related to products nearing their expiry dates.
Industry sources revealed that some quick commerce firms may not be maintaining the minimum shelf life required for safe delivery of packaged foods. “The problem is that the minimum shelf life of a product is not being maintained by some players,” an industry insider stated.
In a recent meeting with its Central Advisory Committee (CAC), FSSAI urged state authorities to ramp up surveillance on e-commerce warehouses and facilities to ensure compliance. A copy of the letter from FSSAI to quick commerce companies has highlighted these issues, underscoring the need for stricter adherence to food safety norms.
LocalCircles, a consumer community platform, recently voiced similar concerns, noting that numerous consumers have reported incidents where quick commerce platforms delivered products with limited shelf life remaining. In an October letter to FSSAI, LocalCircles cited instances of products, such as bread with a typical shelf life of 5–7 days, being delivered with only one day left. Additionally, a survey conducted by LocalCircles revealed that 57% of respondents had encountered instances where online platforms did not display the “best-before” date for packaged food products.
To address these issues, LocalCircles urged FSSAI to enforce the Food Safety and Standards Amendment Regulations 2020, which mandate that products should have at least 30% of their shelf life remaining or 45 days left before expiry when listed for sale and delivery.
The All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) has also raised concerns about the operations of quick commerce firms. Last month, the federation sent letters to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, calling for investigations into the use of private vehicles by quick commerce companies for commercial deliveries, as well as compliance with food safety norms during food product deliveries.
This meeting marks a critical step in FSSAI’s ongoing efforts to strengthen food safety standards within India’s rapidly expanding quick commerce sector.