The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the food business licence of Kiranakart Technologies Pvt. Ltd., the parent company of Zepto for their facility in Dharavi. The action was taken after a surprise inspection on May 31.
The inspection was led by food safety officer Ram Bodke. It was done under the supervision of Joint Commissioner (Food) Mangesh Mane. FDA Minister of State Yogesh Kadam had also guided the process.
During the inspection, the team found many violations of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. According to the FDA report, many food items had fungal growth. Some items were stored near plugged, stagnant water.
The floors of the facility were damp and dirty. Food items were stored directly on the ground. Cold storage units were not maintaining the required temperature. Expired goods were found mixed with fresh stock. This went against basic rules of shelf-life management and product separation.
The FDA said in a statement that these findings showed major non-compliance. They also said that the condition of the facility was a threat to public health.
After the inspection, Assistant Commissioner (Food) Anupamaa Balasaheb Patil ordered an immediate suspension of the licence. The order was given under Section 32(3) of the Food Safety and Standards Act and Regulation 2.1.8(4) of the 2011 Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses Regulations. The suspension will continue until the facility corrects all issues and gets clearance from the FDA.
As per reports, the department will continue strict checks. Sources suggest that FDA will keep inspecting facilities and taking strict action wherever needed.
A spokesperson for Zepto said that the company takes food safety seriously. They said an internal review has begun. They are also working with the authorities to fix all problems. The spokesperson added that the company wants to restart operations after full legal compliance.
In the past five months, a Reddit forum critical of Zepto has gained close to 10,000 members. The subreddit, called ‘F*** Zepto’, continues to receive many daily complaints. The forum sees regular complaints of “dark patterns” of Zepto.
The food licence for the Dharavi facility will stay suspended until a follow-up inspection is passed and official FDA approval is given.