Bad news for Deepinder Goyal as Maharashtra govt takes big decision on Blinkit, Zepto after..., says will continue to...
In more trouble for quick commerce majors Zepto and Blinkit amid the controversy surrounding their dark stores in Maharashtra, the state government has announced that it would continue regular inspections of these units to ensure cleanliness and other mandatory standards are being followed.
The development comes after the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered the closure of dark stores of both Zepto and Blinkit in early June for allegedly violating hygiene standards. The state suspended the food license of a Zepto dark store in Dharavi, while a similar facility of Blinkit was shuttered in Pune. Why FDA took action against Zepto and Blinkit?
Last month, based on a consumer complaint, the Maharashtra raided a Blinkit dark store, run by Darkstore Services near Mitcon College in Pune's Balewadi area, and found that the facility was operating without a food safety license, in violation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Apart from lack of a license, several other gross violations of hygiene standards were found during the FDA inspections, such as pieces of food items lying on the floor, workers handling consumables without headgear, etc.
Following the revelation, the Joint Commissioner (Food) ordered the store operator to immediately halt all food- related activities until it obtains a valid food license from authorities.
In Zepto's case, the FDA cancelled the license of its Dharavi facility for non-compliance with food standards. As per the FDA, Zepto's Dharavi dark store was shuttered for violating several regulations, including Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, according to a report by NDTV Profit.
According to the agency, gross violations of food standards norms were found at Zepto's Dharavi facility, including fungal growth in certain food articles, and food products stores near stagnant water, which indicated poor hygiene as cold storage rules were flouted. The inspection also discovered the facility's floors were wet and filthy, and food items were stored in a disorganized and unsanitary manner, including directly on the floor.
The state FDA had also found norms violations during inspections at Zepto facilities in Bhiwandi, Bandra West and Borivali. What happened to these stores after FDA action?
According to Moneycontrol report, the Zepto and Blinkit have reopened their dark stores after acquiring the necessary permissions from authorities.
'Blinkit and Zepto have made the necessary changes. We had sent them a letter clearly stating that all their stores should follow the cleanliness and rules. They have assured us that these rules are now being followed completely. However, we are constantly checking whether everything is being implemented properly or not,' the report quoted Maharashtra's Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Yogesh Kadam as saying.
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