By Kritika Gangwar
India’s food safety regulator has flagged the country’s major online marketplaces for allegedly violating food safety regulations on their platforms.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has initiated penal action against Flipkart, Amazon, Swiggy Instamart, BigBasket and Zepto. A social media post highlighted the regulator calling it a major crackdown on regulatory violations, including misbranding and misleading claims and the sale or display of prohibited or poisonous food products. The action has been taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
First, all the five platforms were detected for misleading claims about Happilo Premium Date Bites-Zesty Orange. Second, Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket displayed incorrect nutritional information on dairy products such as Milky Mist low fat cream, fresh curd and Greek Yogurt. Thirdly, Amazon Seller Services, Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket were found allowing the sale and display of Datura fruits and seeds which is a poisonous plant that is not allowed to be sold in the food market.
None of these platforms had no response to queries at the time of publication. However, the companies will take all necessary steps to follow the law and respond to the authorities on time, as per a report by Hindustan Times.
The action is a part of a bigger pattern. In the last six months, FSSAI has increased action against food businesses and e-commerce companies and has been utilising social media platforms to publicise these actions to consumers.
Observers look at this as a clear message to the industry. Large online platforms cannot simply treat product listings as digital noticeboards. If they show food products, claims or nutritional information to millions of consumers, who can be held accountable for compliance. For quick-commerce companies with fast delivery, the message is simple: speed cannot come at the cost of food safety.