FDA issues stop business notice to Blinkit's dark store for operating sans FSSAI license
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a stop business notice to a dark store in Baner-Balewadi associated with quick grocery delivery service Blinkit. The dark store was reportedly operating sans the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) license, said officials.
The notice was issued on June 5 to Energy Darkstore Services, one of Blinkit's last-mile warehousing and partners.
The dark store a month back had applied for an FSSAI license. The FDA Pune officials had put the license approval on hold due to incomplete documents. Even after one month, Energy Darkstore Services did not reach out to the food authority to complete the process. Following this, the FDA officials visited the warehouse and found the facility operating sans licence.
Suresh Annapure, joint commissioner, Pune region, said, 'A notice to stop business till the license is received has been issued to the dark store which was found operating sans necessary license as mandated by the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.'
'No food business operator can operate without an FSSAI license in the country. The dark store has been asked to complete the compliance and documentation on priority to get the license. After which a reinspection will be conducted by us, only after which the license will be issued,' added Annapure.
As per officials, during the visit, the facility was found distributing packaged food items and bulk storage racks. The store was operating with compromised sanitary and hygiene conditions with food debris and employees not covering their hair while storing and handling food items, they said. The unit had around 50 employees and had cold storage units for milk, milk products and fruits, they said.
On May 31 the FDA suspended the food business license of Kiranakart Technologies Pvt. Ltd.—the parent company of quick-commerce platform Zepto—for its Dharavi facility, citing serious violations of food safety and hygiene norms.
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