FSSAI lens on 526 ecommerce food storage facilities

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued notices to 526 storage facilities of ecommerce food businesses after 8,143 inspections for violating regulations during 2024-25, minister of state for commerce and industry Jitin Prasada told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply on Friday.

In the last two years, FSSAl has conducted five meetings with ecommerce food business operators and discussed regulatory expectations such as training delivery personnel, product labelling, traceability of warehouses and complaint handling, the minister said.

Prasada’s reply was in response to a set of queries by Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi, who sought to know if the government was aware that state authorities had flagged several dark stores run by quick commerce platforms for violating hygiene, licensing and FSSAI norms. He also inquired whether the government acted against flagged outlets in Pune, Gurugram and Bengaluru for operating without proper food business licenses.

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The minister added that the FSSAI, in 2018, specified procedures for the licensing and registration of ecommerce platforms along with their responsibilities. Accordingly, ecommerce food business operators (FBOs) must ensure that all listed sellers are licensed/registered, provide mandatory food information (including principal display panel), and delist non-compliant products, etc.

The FSSAI takes up the compliance and enforcement issues with Commissioners of Food Safety of states and union territories through its Central Advisory Committee meetings once in three months, the reply said.

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