Zepto's food facility in Dharavi shut down by FDA over poor hygiene, safety violations

Mumbai, June 1 (IANS) Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cancelled the food business licence of Zepto’s facility in Dharavi after a surprise inspection found multiple serious violations of food safety rules.

This move is part of a larger crackdown on Zepto's operations in Mumbai. According to FDA officials, the inspection at the Dharavi location revealed poor hygiene and unsafe food storage conditions.

Some food items were found with fungal growth, while others were stored near stagnant water. The cold storage units were not keeping the required temperature, and the floors were dirty and wet.

Inspectors also found expired food items not clearly separated from the fresh stock. The inspection was triggered by a tip-off received from the Minister of State for FDA, Yogesh Kadam.

Based on the findings, the Assistant Commissioner, Food, Anupamaa Balasaheb Patil, ordered the suspension of the facility’s licence under Section 32(3) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

This suspension will remain in place until Zepto corrects all the issues and gets clearance from the licensing authority.

Zepto, a fast-growing quick commerce company, has also faced inspections at its Bhiwandi, Bandra East, and Borivali facilities.

While the licences at Bhiwandi and Bandra East were not cancelled, notices were issued for violations.

In Borivali, the licence was temporarily suspended, but operations resumed after corrective measures were taken and approved by the appellate authority.

A Zepto spokesperson said: "Maintaining the highest standards of food safety and hygiene is non-negotiable. We have already started an internal review and are working with authorities to fix the issues quickly."

This is not the first controversy for Zepto. The company has recently faced criticism from customers for allegedly increasing delivery charges and using deceptive practices on its app.

Social media has seen a rise in complaints from users expressing disappointment with the company.

Zepto CEO Aadit Palicha has also made headlines recently, accusing the CFO of a rival company of spreading false information and funding bots to damage Zepto’s reputation.

In another blow, Zepto’s Rural Mobilisation Programme is under scrutiny. The Rajdhani App Workers Union has accused the company’s recruitment partners of unfairly reducing the wages of delivery agents from small towns and keeping them in poor living conditions.

--IANS

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