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Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Commissioner Rajesh Narvekar said on Monday that some food articles of quick-commerce firm Zepto had fungus, and some products had also expired, for which their food business licence was suspended in the Dharavi area.
Speaking to ANI, Narvekar emphasised that the department will now start its inspections on all other e-commerce operators too. "They will be given an Improvement Notice. They have to fulfil all the parameters mentioned in the notice. Once they come back, we will reverify whether they stand clear on all the parameters. Their suspension will be removed if their performance is satisfactory. Otherwise, it will be continued till they improve their performance... We will aggressively start our inspections on all the other e-commerce operators," the Maharashtra FDA Commissioner said. "This action was taken because some food articles had fungus, water had accumulated in some places, the temperature for the food items was not maintained, and some products had also expired... Action has been taken because of these discrepancies," Narvekar said. Based on information received from Minister of State for Food and Drug Administration, Yogesh Kadam, and under the guidance of Mangesh Mane, Joint Commissioner (Food), an inspection was conducted at the premises of Kiranakart Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (Zepto), located in Dharavi, Mumbai, by Food Safety Officer Ram Bodke, the Maharashtra FDA said in a statement. The inspection revealed serious non-compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, it said. Key observations during the inspection included- Fungal growth observed on certain food articles; storage of products near clogged/stagnant water, indicating poor hygiene; cold storage temperatures not maintained as per regulatory standards; wet and filthy floors, with food items stored in a disorganised and unsanitary manner, including directly on the floor and expired food products found not clearly separated from non-expired stock. "These findings constitute a failure to comply with the conditions of the license. Accordingly, Smt. Anupamaa Balasaheb Patil, Assistant Commissioner (Food), issued an order of immediate suspension under Section 32(3) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Regulation 2.1.8(4) of the Licensing and Registration Regulations, 2011," FDA Maharashtra, Mumbai Division said in a statement. As per the statement, the suspension remains effective until the establishment achieves full compliance and receives approval from the licensing authority. Faced with the suspension order, Zepto released a statement and said they have already initiated an internal review and are working closely with the concerned authorities to ensure full and swift compliance. "We are committed to rectifying the lapses identified and strengthening our processes to provide the best and safest quality of products to our consumers. We are taking all necessary corrective measures to resume operations in accordance with regulatory obligations and applicable laws as soon as possible. We have already initiated an internal review and are working closely with the concerned authorities to ensure full and swift compliance," the Zepto statement read. (ANI)
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