Maharashtra FDA finds hygiene lapses at Zepto facility in Dharavi, suspends food licence

The Maharashtra branch of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the food business licence for Zepto's parent firm Kiranakart Technologies in Mumbai, after finding some food safety violations in a regulatory inspection.

According to a report, the quick commerce platform was found to have violated Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, at its storage facilities in Dharavi.

The violations included fungal growth on food articles, food storage near stagnant water, cold storage temperature not maintained and expired food items not segregated from the main stock, as per a press note by the FDA.


In a statement shared with ET, Zepto spokesperson said that the company has initiated an internal review of the matter and “working closely with the concerned authorities to ensure full and swift compliance.”

The food safety body said the suspension will be valid till the Zepto facility complies with regulations and receives clearance.

“We are committed to rectifying the lapses identified, and strengthening our processes to provide the best and safest quality of products to our consumers,” the Zepto spokesperson said in the statement. “We are taking all necessary corrective measures to resume operations in accordance with regulatory obligations and applicable laws at the earliest.”

Zepto Cafe pauses operations

This development comes just weeks after Zepto paused its rapid food delivery operations, Zepto Cafe, in several cities including Delhi, Agra, Chandigarh, Mohali, Amritsar, and Meerut due to supply chain issues.

The half has impacted operations of 44 Zepto Cafe stores in those areas and affected over 700 gig workers.

The pause began in April after a surge in demand made it difficult to maintain quality standards. Currently, Zepto is in the process of identifying new vendor partners to stabilise the supply chain and plans to resume services by the end of September.

Zepto Cafe is the quick commerce platform’s rapid food delivery vertical in which it prepares foods such as beverages, snacks and mini meals and offers to deliver it within 10 minutes.