FSSAI online food rules are set to become stricter for quick-commerce platforms, with the food regulator preparing requirements for expiry dates, batch numbers, product claims and greater accountability from companies including Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart and Amazon Now.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India Chief Executive Officer Rajit Punhani said in an interview that the regulator was working to make online platforms more accountable for the products and information offered through their services. The proposed measures would require online listings to display manufacturing and expiry dates, as well as batch numbers, for food products sold through digital marketplaces.
The regulator is also considering rules requiring photographs and addresses of dark kitchens, along with stricter inspections of dark stores. The checks would focus on storage conditions, including the handling of frozen products. Dark stores are central to quick-commerce delivery networks because they hold inventory close to residential neighbourhoods, but their operations are generally less visible to consumers than conventional retail outlets.
The planned changes follow a wider enforcement drive against misbranding, prohibited products, invalid licences and other food-safety violations. Eternal Ltd.’s Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Walmart-owned Flipkart and Amazon’s India unit have faced regulatory action. Instamart said in July, after an FSSAI probe, that it was reviewing listings flagged by the regulator and was engaging with authorities. An Amazon spokesperson said the company operates as a marketplace for independent third-party sellers and removes products that do not comply with its requirements. The company confirmed that a product cited in a regulatory query was no longer available on its marketplace.
The proposed framework could affect India’s online retail industry, estimated at $80 billion, where groceries account for as much as 51 per cent of sales, according to Redseer Strategy Consultants. For consumers, the proposed listing requirements would make basic information about freshness, manufacturing and product traceability available before purchase rather than only after delivery or through packaging inspection.
FSSAI’s action against online food businesses is part of a broader crackdown covering manufacturers, hotels, restaurants, advertising claims, infant-product marketing, labelling and storage practices. Punhani said prosecutions involving e-commerce companies had risen five- to sixfold over the past year, although he added that compliance was improving more slowly than required.
Regulatory bodies conducted about 700,000 inspections between April and September, nearly double the number recorded during the same period a year earlier, Punhani said. State food and drug enforcement agencies conduct most inspections and operate independently of FSSAI. Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka and West Bengal have intensified checks on restaurants, food manufacturers and quick-commerce operations, while staffing constraints remain a challenge as enforcement expands.
The regulator is also reviewing the online supplements and nutraceuticals market. It is examining approvals granted three to five years ago to determine whether companies are making claims beyond those cleared by authorities. Punhani said notices and licence suspensions could follow violations, and that weight-loss claims were not permitted. The next stage will depend on the detailed rules FSSAI issues and how platforms, sellers and state enforcement agencies implement them.
