Dark stores under the scanner: Maharashtra FDA flags Blinkit warehouse for food safety violations
As scrutiny tightens on India’s quick commerce sector, a Blinkit dark store in Pune is caught distributing food without a valid safety license - just days after Zepto faced similar action.
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The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ordered a Blinkit-affiliated dark store in Pune to immediately cease food-related operations after discovering that it was operating without a mandatory food safety license.
According to media reports, the crackdown comes as regulatory scrutiny of backend operations in India's booming quick commerce sector reaches a new high.
The facility, located near Mitcon College in Balewadi and operated by M/s Energy Darkstore Services, was inspected on June 5 following a customer complaint about food safety standards.
FDA officials found that the warehouse was actively storing and distributing packaged food items - some in bulk - without the license mandated under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
A formal notice reviewed by Moneycontrol reveals that the Joint Commissioner (Food) directed the operator to immediately halt all food operations until a valid license is obtained, warning of legal action in case of non-compliance.
The FDA's inspection report listed several troubling lapses:
- No traceability of distributed food items.
- Unhygienic storage conditions with food particles on the floor.
- Workers handling food without proper headgear.
- No food safety inspection certificates for staff.
- Cold storage units lacking calibration documentation.
- Absence of employee safety training records.
Although the vendor had submitted a license application, no approval had been granted as of the inspection date.
M/s Energy Darkstore Services serves as one of Blinkit's last-mile warehousing and fulfilment partners. The incident highlights the challenges facing the quick commerce industry, which is racing to expand dark store networks to meet surging demand for 10-20 minute deliveries. Blinkit's user base is now approaching the scale of its parent Zomato's core food delivery business. Blinkit did not respond to detailed queries, the report added.
This action comes barely a week after the Maharashtra FDA suspended the food business license of Zepto’s parent company, Kiranakart Technologies Pvt Ltd, over major violations at its Dharavi dark store in Mumbai. Inspectors found food with fungal growth, poor hygiene with goods stored near stagnant water, expired items improperly segregated, and cold storage temperatures outside regulatory limits.
