Officers say Datura is toxic and that its sale or distribution as a meals product poses a critical public well being danger.
| Photograph Credit score: Getty Pictures
The Karnataka Meals Security and Drug Administration Division has suspended the meals licences of Amazon, Swiggy Instamart, and BigBasket till additional orders after poisonous Datura fruits and seeds had been discovered being bought on-line as meals merchandise.
In accordance with an order issued by Meals Security Commissioner Ok. Srinivas, the division has additionally directed the three platforms to right away take away listings and ads for Datura, often known as Dhatura, and cease promoting or distributing the merchandise for human consumption.
The motion adopted inspections by meals security officers, who discovered Datura fruits and seeds being saved and provided on the market by way of e-commerce platforms utilizing Meals Security and Requirements Authority of India (FSSAI) registration or licence numbers.
Officers stated Datura is toxic and that its sale or distribution as a meals product poses a critical public well being danger.
Warehouses
Throughout inspections, officers discovered packets of Datura fruits and seeds carrying meals registration numbers. The merchandise had been additionally discovered saved in a warehouse and listed on the market or distribution by way of on-line platforms.
The division stated that gathering, promoting or distributing Datura fruits or seeds as meals was illegal given their toxic nature. The motion has been initiated underneath the Meals Security and Requirements Act, 2006, and the Meals Security and Requirements Guidelines, 2011.
Rationalization sought
Representatives of the three corporations appeared earlier than the adjudicating authority on Monday, in response to the Commissioner’s order.
Amazon didn’t submit a response to the discover, whereas Swiggy Instamart sought extra time to submit paperwork detailing the motion it had taken after receiving the division’s discover.
BigBasket instructed the authority that it had stopped promoting Datura and altered the style by which the product can be bought. It additionally stated that the labelling can be modified to obviously state that the product was “not for human consumption”.
The division, nonetheless, discovered the responses unsatisfactory, citing the toxic nature of Datura and the potential danger to public well being.
Suppliers
The motion has additionally been prolonged to suppliers and sellers who offered Datura merchandise to the e-commerce platforms.
Meals security authorities have ordered the suspension of their meals licences and registrations underneath the relevant meals security legal guidelines. The division has additionally directed the related State or Central licensing authorities to provoke motion to cancel the registrations of the organisations or distributors involved, topic to due authorized course of.
The division stated separate orders can be issued after compliance stories are obtained and the events involved are given a possibility to current their arguments.
The platforms and meals companies have been directed to not promote, distribute, promote or show Datura fruits or seeds as meals or for human consumption in future. Failure to conform might invite additional motion underneath the relevant legal guidelines.
Printed – August 25, 2026 12:58 am IST
