Delhi’s Food Safety Department has found expired food, pest infestations and unhygienic storage conditions at facilities operated by quick-commerce and retail companies, while 19 of 59 desi ghee samples tested across the city were declared unsafe for human consumption, according to an official release issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.
The inspections were conducted ahead of the festival season at food-storage and supply facilities linked to online delivery and retail companies. Officials found expired frozen green peas, Greek yoghurt, eggless chocolate-chip brownies and cow ghee products at Swiggy Instamart’s premises in Uttam Nagar. Some packets of sprouts, fruits and vegetables did not carry expiry dates, the release said.
At Reliance Retail Limited’s premises in the Wazirpur Industrial Area, inspectors found flies, mosquitoes and a lizard, along with spider webs. Officials also reported expired products and unhygienic conditions during an inspection of Zomato Hyperpure’s premises in Ghevra.
At Zepto Limited’s premises in Jheel Khureja, the department found deficiencies in maintaining the prescribed cold-storage temperature. Cockroaches and spider webs were also found at the facility, according to the Chief Minister’s Office statement.
The findings highlight the food-safety risks created by storage and fulfilment facilities that supply groceries and prepared food products through online platforms. Expiry labelling, pest control and cold-chain compliance are central to maintaining food quality between procurement and delivery, but the inspections found shortcomings across each of these areas.
The department also collected 59 samples of different brands of desi ghee from markets across Delhi. Nineteen samples were classified as unsafe for human consumption, while four were found to be substandard. The unsafe samples included brands named in the official release as Haryana Lite, Haryana Supreme, Haryana Dairy, Haryana Pure, Shree Haryana King, Shree Haryana Foods, Kartar, Prabhas, Madhu Sangam, Radha Krishna, New Punjab Super Brand, Akshara, Anand Gold, Shree Nandan, Shree Mohan and Shree Krishna.
Samples of Nova, Govardhan Pure Cow Ghee and Pratap Desi Ghee were classified as substandard. The government said orders had been issued to shut establishments selling unsafe ghee and that their licences had been suspended.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said food quality could not be compromised and directed the Food Safety Department to tighten monitoring of markets, food-storage facilities and establishments supplying food products through online platforms. “The health and safety of Delhiites will not be compromised,” she said, adding that action should be taken wherever food-safety standards were violated.
The government said its objective was not limited to identifying deficiencies but also included ensuring access to safe and quality food for families in Delhi. The Food Safety Department is expected to continue inspections and take action under the applicable rules against establishments found violating food-safety standards.
