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Food safety regulator FSSAI has issued nine notices to quick-commerce platform Swiggy Instamart following multiple consumer complaints alleging the delivery of expired, spoiled and unsafe food products through the platform.
In a post on social media, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said the notices were issued under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, after receiving several complaints from consumers.
According to the regulator, the complaints alleged that Swiggy Instamart supplied expired, spoiled, rotten, contaminated and otherwise unsafe food products.
FSSAI has directed the company to furnish a detailed explanation along with a compliance report, warning that failure to do so could lead to appropriate legal action.
Meanwhile, an Instamart spokesperson said: “We are reviewing the flagged listings by FSSAI and are in touch with the authorities to resolve the same.”
Providing details of the complaints, the FSSAI said consumers had alleged that products such as Healthify 100% Whey Protein (1 kg) and Noice Homestyle Madras Mixture with Peanuts were delivered after their expiry dates.
The regulator further noted that complaints claimed Akshayakalpa Organic Eggs were received in an expired and rotten condition, emitting a foul odour and showing signs of contamination. Similarly, Kakke da Paratha was allegedly delivered in a spoiled condition with a foul smell.
In addition, the FSSAI said some consumers reported receiving contaminated eggs and milk, as well as damaged packaged food products through the Instamart platform.
"An infant food formulation was reportedly found in a highly deteriorated and unsafe condition, showing signs of contamination and improper storage and handling," it added. Even after return of this same product, it was allegedly re-supplied.
The FSSAI also noted instances of incorrect, invalid or non-existent licence numbers, while observing that certain food business operators were allegedly listed on the platform under names that did not match those registered with the regulator.
"Some complaints alleged that no satisfactory response, grievance redressal or corrective action was taken despite the complaints being forwarded or escalated, while one complaint stated that only a refund was offered without addressing the reported food safety concerns," the FSSAI said.
According to the FSSAI, the notices highlight concerns related to seller onboarding, compliance verification, product traceability, food quality monitoring, consumer grievance redressal, oversight of food business operations, and the effectiveness of food safety compliance mechanisms on the platform.
In recent months, the regulator has stepped up enforcement against food business operators (FBOs) and e-commerce platforms, publicly disclosing action taken against companies over alleged misleading claims, advertisements, and labelling violations under the Food Safety and Standards Act. The latest notices stem from both suo motu action by the regulator and consumer complaints.
Over the past two to three months, the FSSAI has issued notices to several energy drink manufacturers, alcoholic beverage companies, food brands, and quick-commerce platforms.
Among them, Lotte India, Ferns N Petals, and Kubera Foods received notices over alleged misleading claims and labelling violations related to their food products. The regulator also served notices to six beverage brands marketing products as energy drinks—Red Bull Energy Drink, PepsiCo's Adrenaline Rush Energy Drink, Reliance Consumer Products' Campa Energy Drink Gold Boost, Sting Energy Drink, Hell Energy, and Monster Energy—for alleged misbranding and misleading claims.
The FSSAI has also taken action against quick-commerce platform Blinkit. It issued a notice over consumer complaints alleging the sale of poor-quality eggs after taking suo motu cognisance of social media posts. In a separate instance, the regulator sought an explanation from the company following a complaint that a consumer allegedly fell ill after consuming curd ordered through the platform.
Earlier this month, the FSSAI also served a notice to Heritage Foods Ltd over alleged misleading claims related to its Fresh Paneer product as part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen consumer protection and food safety compliance.
