Restricted Item Sale, Wrong Labels: Food Regulator Acts Against Amazon, Zepto

Ordering groceries online can take minutes, but the checks behind what actually turns up at your door are now facing scrutiny. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has begun penal action against five major e-commerce platforms over a range of food safety and regulatory violations.

The food safety body has initiated action against Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto and BigBasket. The violations cited include misbranding, misleading claims, and the sale or display of prohibited or poisonous food articles through these platforms. 

One of the main products flagged is Happilo Premium Date Bites in its Zesty Orange flavour. FSSAI found misleading and incorrect claims about this product on all five platforms, Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto and BigBasket.

Read: Karnataka Suspends Amazon, Instamart, BigBasket's Licences Over 'Datura' Sales

FSSAI has also flagged the sale of Datura, or dhatura, fruits and seeds, a poisonous plant, on three of the platforms: Amazon, Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket. Action here relates to non-compliance with FSS Act provisions governing the sale, display and offer of such items through e-commerce platforms.

Separately, Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket face action over three Milky Mist dairy products, Fresh Low Fat Cream, Farm Fresh Curd and Greek Yoghurt, over misleading claims and non-compliant product information.

The regulator is now pushing e-commerce platforms to carry out greater due diligence on the food products they list and sell online, to prevent similar violations going forward.