New Delhi, August 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) has urged the authorities to establish uniform food-safety and hygiene standards for quick-commerce dark stores, citing concerns raised by recent inspections of online food storage and delivery facilities in Maharashtra.
The demand follows inspections conducted by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at 86 establishments involved in online food storage and delivery. According to a report by NDTV Profit, the regulator suspended 14 food-business licences associated with Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart after detecting deficiencies involving food storage, temperature control, cleanliness, pest management, worker hygiene and food handling.
The AICPDF also highlighted specific incidents involving quick-commerce facilities. It referred to a viral video that allegedly showed a live rat inside an ice-cream storage crate at a Blinkit outlet in Kalyan’s Godrej Hill area, saying the incident raised concerns over pest control, sanitation, stock inspection and preventive food-safety measures.
The federation also pointed to reports of expired food products being found at a Zepto outlet in Pune.
“Consumers should not have to become food inspectors checking dates, packaging and storage conditions,” AICPDF National President Dhairyashil H. Patil said.
According to the report, the federation has approached the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Union Health Ministry, seeking mandatory and scientifically determined standards for storage and hygiene at quick-commerce warehouses and dark stores.
One of its proposals is a scientific SKU-to-space framework, under which the minimum storage area would be determined by the number of stock-keeping units handled by a facility. The AICPDF has asked FSSAI to assess and standardise such requirements.
The proposed norms would also cover adequate storage space, segregation of food categories, designated areas for damaged and expired products, cold-chain compliance, pest control, periodic audits and surprise inspections.
“Quick commerce may promise delivery in 10 minutes, but food safety cannot operate on a 10-minute business model,” Patil said.
The federation said it supports the growth of quick commerce but wants the same food-safety standards to apply across traditional and digital retail channels.
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