Food safety officials in Uttar Pradesh have found hygiene, storage and regulatory violations at warehouses and dark stores supplying online grocery orders during 149 inspections across the state in the past 15 days. The inspections have led to recommendations for improvement notices in 79 cases, collection of 21 food samples for laboratory testing and suspension of four licences.
The inspections were conducted under the ongoing ‘Shuddh Hi Shubh Hai’ campaign to check food quality and safety at facilities associated with e-commerce platforms, according to officials. “The findings raise concerns about the conditions in which food products are stored before reaching consumers, particularly as online grocery services gain popularity,” Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) assistant commissioner VP Singh said. During an inspection of a warehouse in Ghaziabad, unhygienic conditions, including cobwebs on walls, damaged flooring and cockroaches, were found, prompting suspension of the establishment’s food licence, officials said.
In Kanpur Nagar, inspections revealed that some facilities lacked the controlled-atmosphere and cold-storage chambers required under their licences. Officials also found that the name of a nominee who had reportedly resigned around two years ago remained on a licence. Certain confectionery products were also found to have violations relating to the prescribed best-before period. The department initiated action against the establishments, including licence suspensions and stoppage of food business operations until the shortcomings are rectified. The statewide inspections are examining storage and handling practices, temperature control, cold-chain maintenance, cleanliness, pest control and the segregation of food products from other materials. Officials are also scrutinising purchase invoices, supply records, employee health documentation, hygiene practices and mandatory food-safety training records. They are checking how expired, damaged or unusable products are identified, segregated and disposed of.
In Agra, officials seized 273 packets of makhana worth around ₹ 68,000 during an inspection of an online retail outlet.
