New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a formal notice to quick-commerce platform Blinkit, demanding a comprehensive explanation after a wave of consumer complaints surfaced on social media alleging that eggs delivered through the platform were of dangerously poor quality.
Consumers reported receiving eggs with a strong foul odour, a rubbery or plastic-like texture, and characteristics that raised serious doubts about whether they were fit for human consumption. The complaints spread rapidly across platforms, prompting the food safety watchdog to step in.
What Consumers Reported
- Strong, foul odour upon opening egg packaging
- Rubber-like or plastic-like texture inconsistent with fresh eggs
- Questions over whether products were safe for human consumption
- Concerns about quality checks on perishable goods in quick commerce
Regulator Acts on Its Own Initiative
In an unusual move, the FSSAI took suo motu cognisance of the complaints — meaning the regulator acted on its own accord rather than waiting for a formal complaint to be filed. The authority has since written directly to Blink Commerce Pvt Ltd, the parent entity of Blinkit, directing the company to submit a detailed action taken report (ATR) and a compliance report within seven days.
The regulator’s intervention signals a broader concern about accountability in the fast-growing quick-commerce sector, where perishable goods like eggs, meat, and dairy products change hands at rapid speed, often leaving quality controls with little time for thorough inspection.
A Pattern of Regulatory Scrutiny
This action follows an advisory that FSSAI had issued in December 2024 specifically addressing the surge of food sales through digital channels. That advisory had underscored that e-commerce food business operators bear direct responsibility for the safety, quality, and authenticity of every product listed on their platforms.
The December advisory had also made clear that platforms must not list any food seller without prominently displaying a valid FSSAI licence or registration number, and that all product claims made online must align precisely with information on physical labels — in compliance with the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020.
FSSAI’s Compliance Requirements For E-Commerce Food Platforms
- All online product claims must match physical label information exactly
- Platforms must display valid FSSAI licence or registration for all listed sellers
- Internal mechanisms needed to ensure compliance with Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020
- Platforms are jointly responsible for the quality of goods sold through them
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