FSSAI Seeks Response From Blinkit After Consumer Reportedly Falls Ill After Consuming Curd
FSSAI has sought an explanation from Blinkit after a consumer allegedly fell ill after consuming curd ordered through the platform.
SociapaHQ
Food safety standards in India’s burgeoning instant delivery sector have come under the scanner after a customer allegedly fell ill consuming curd ordered through quick commerce platform Blinkit, prompting the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to seek a response from the company.
A PTI report said FSSAI had received a written complaint from a customer who needed medical attention after consuming the product, following which it wrote to Blink Commerce Pvt. Ltd on May 29. The complaint included medical records.
The consumer allegedly suffered severe stomach pain and diarrhoea soon after consuming the curd purchased through Blinkit, one of the country’s largest quick commerce platforms.
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Regulatory Scrutiny Intensifies:
The food regulator has asked the company to explain the circumstances of the sale including details of the product’s sourcing, storage and handling practices. The development comes weeks after FSSAI had asked Blinkit for a separate explanation over complaints of allegedly poor quality eggs sold on the platform.
The latest complaint is part of mounting regulatory concerns over food quality and safety in the fast growing quick commerce industry. Companies like Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart have changed the way urban shoppers shop by offering deliveries in minutes. The model has also raised concerns about storage conditions, cold-chain maintenance and monitoring of third-party sellers.
Food safety experts and regulators are increasingly saying that e-commerce food operators should be held responsible for the quality of the products sold on their platforms. As consumer complaints about spoilt, damaged or unhygienic products have become more visible authorities have stepped up oversight of digital food marketplaces.
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Regulatory Shift:
Last year, the FSSAI in an advisory had asked the e-commerce food business operators to ensure all products listed on their platforms are compliant with food safety, labelling and authenticity regulations. The regulator also asked platforms not to onboard sellers without valid food safety registrations or licenses.
Recent complaints against Blinkit are a sign of a larger shift in regulatory expectations. The once technology-only view of quick commerce platforms is evolving into a view of them as accountable participants in the food retail supply chain, as regulators seek to raise consumer protection standards.
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