The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the food business licences of 14 dark stores and quick commerce delivery hubs. The action covers facilities operated by major 10 minute delivery platforms, including Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart, following a large scale statewide inspection drive.
Food safety officers inspected 86 delivery hubs across the state to check quality and hygiene standards. Out of the 14 suspended licences, five belong to Blinkit, five to Zepto, and two to Swiggy Instamart facilities, while two others were linked to partner distribution hubs. In addition to the suspensions, officials issued formal improvement notices to 60 other facilities.
During the inspections, FDA teams found serious violations of food safety rules. Key issues included dirty storage areas, severe cockroach and rodent infestations, failure to maintain cold storage temperatures, and the improper mixing of fresh produce with expired items. Officials also discovered that many hubs lacked mandatory medical check up records for workers handling food.
Under the suspension orders, these specific dark stores are completely barred from selling, storing, or delivering any food items until all hygiene lapses are fixed and approved by safety inspectors. State authorities confirmed that strict compliance drives will continue to protect consumer health across all online grocery networks.
