Amazon, Swiggy Instamart, BigBasket food licences suspended in Karnataka over datura listings on platforms

The Karnataka Food Safety and Drugs Administration Department has suspended the food licences of Amazon, Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket until further orders after datura fruits and seeds were found listed on the platforms as food products, a TOI report stated. The department has also directed the three platforms to remove all such listings and advertisements and stop the sale and distribution of datura as food.

Karnataka food department orders suspension

The department said the platforms must immediately take down listings and advertisements offering datura, also known as dhatura, for human consumption. The order applies to Amazon, Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket, with the suspension of their food licences continuing until further orders.



The department has also directed the platforms to stop selling and distributing datura as a food product.

Datura found listed as food

Datura is also known as Thorn Apple. It is a poisonous medicinal plant from the nightshade family. Officials said consuming datura without purification can pose a serious public health risk. In extreme cases, its consumption can lead to coma and death.

Department says sale as food is not allowed

The Karnataka Food Safety and Drugs Administration Department held that storing, selling or distributing datura fruits and seeds as food was impermissible.

The action follows the discovery of the toxic fruits and seeds being offered through the three online platforms as food products. The department has now ordered their removal and stopped their sale for human consumption.