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The national food regulator Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued notices to Swiggy Instamart after consumers complained of the sale of expired food items by the quick commerce delivery company.
FSSAI has issued 9 notices to Swiggy Instamart following multiple consumer complaints alleging violations under the FSS Act 2006.
The Food Business Operator (FBO) has been directed to submit a detailed explanation & compliance report failing which appropriate legal action will be initiated.
FSSAI sent these warnings because many customers complained. Customers said the app delivered food that was old, rotten, and unsafe to eat.
Here are the main problems that customers found:
Old Food: The app delivered items that were past their expiry dates. This included a health drink powder (Healthify Whey Protein) and a snack mix (Noice Madras Mixture).
Rotten eggs: Customers received organic eggs (Akshayakalpa Organic Eggs) that were old, rotten, and smelled terrible.
Spoiled meals: A packaged food item (Kakke da Paratha) was spoiled and had a very bad smell, making it unfit to eat.
Bad baby food: One buyer received baby food that was dirty and stored poorly. Even after they returned the bad item, the app delivered the same bad baby food to them again.
Wrong licences: Some items, like “Noice” eggs, were sold without the right government permission. Other sellers on the app used wrong or invalid food licence numbers.
Poor customer service: When people complained about unsafe food, the app often just gave them their money back. The app did not do anything to fix the food safety problem.
What happens next?
FSSAI has ordered Swiggy Instamart to explain these problems immediately. The app must show how they will keep food clean, fresh, and safe. If Swiggy Instamart does not give a good explanation and fix these problems soon, the government will take legal action against them.
This is not the first time that the national food regulator has taken against a food company. Recently, the FSSAI had sent notices to the likes of Lotte India, Kubera Foods, etc.
Complaints:
One netizen alleged the quick commerce app of delivering food products sans expired date:
