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Maharashtra‘s Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) suspended the licences of two Blinkit services in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) after inspections discovered alleged cold-chain failures, expired meals, poor hygiene and insufficient traceability data, amongst different food-safety violations. Earlier, a Zepto facility in Mumbai’s Chembur was additionally suspended.
The motion comes amid the FDA’s crackdown against online food-storage and delivery facilities within the State.
On the Excessive Court docket Colony facility in Satara, FDA inspectors Varsha Rode and Kirtika Jhade discovered cigarettes of manufacturers together with Wills, Basic and Marlboro being offered together with the meals storage and on-line deliveries. In response to the FDA, the sale of tobacco merchandise from the meals retail premises was prohibited.
In addition they discovered a ‘Salisbury Caramelised Onion & Dill Dip’, which required refrigeration however was saved on common cabinets at room temperature. Jars of Brajratna Cow Ghee that had crossed their ‘Finest Earlier than’ date had been allegedly saved with common sale inventory as a substitute of being segregated. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian merchandise had been saved on the identical shelf in chilly storage, whereas meals merchandise and cleansing provides had been additionally saved collectively, in keeping with the FDA.
Meals-handling workers allegedly didn’t have annual medical check-up certificates and had been working with out aprons, gloves or head coverings. Buy payments issued within the names of entities together with Hyperpure, Zomato Hyperpure and Moonstone Ventures had been additionally discovered, however officers stated paperwork explaining their enterprise relationship with Blinkit and product traceability had been unavailable.
At Blinkit’s Harsul facility, FDA inspector Farid Siddiqui famous that two bogs opened instantly reverse racks containing onions, potatoes and flour. Officers additionally reported tobacco spit stains and unhygienic circumstances across the handwashing space.
The identical refrigerated dip on the Satara facility was allegedly being saved at room temperature in Harsul as effectively. They even failed to supply historic temperature-monitoring data for its chilly rooms, the FDA stated.
Damaged tiles and stairs, rubbish close to the unloading space and the absence of rodent traps close to receiving and supply factors had been amongst different deficiencies recorded. Workers medical health certificates, protecting clothes, drinking-water potability experiences, buy invoices and supply-chain traceability data had been additionally unavailable, in keeping with the division.
D.V. Patil, Assistant Commissioner (Meals) and Licensing Authority of the FDA, ordered the instant suspension of each licences on the bottom that the violations posed a danger to public well being and has prohibited Blink Commerce Non-public Restricted, or anybody performing on its behalf, from buying, storing, promoting or fulfilling orders by way of the Blinkit software from the 2 premises whereas the licences stay suspended.
This motion follows the FDA’s Statewide inspection drive between July 14 and August 17, the place the meals licence of a Zepto Restricted facility in Chembur was additionally suspended after officers discovered hygiene, upkeep and temperature-control violations.
FDA inspectors discovered non-vegetarian chilled merchandise had been at a temperature of 9°C as a substitute of a prescribed most of 5°C, whereas frozen merchandise had been saved at minus 11°C as a substitute of the beneficial minus 18°C or under. Inspections additionally discovered lacking temperature indicators and freezer-door locks, poor air flow, flaking paint, oil-spilt flooring, dust-covered exhaust followers and insufficient pest management and cleansing measures.
A potable-water take a look at report was additionally unavailable, and the FSSAI licence was not displayed on the premises, in keeping with the FDA.
Printed – August 20, 2026 05:00 am IST
