Delhi’s Food Safety Department has found expired food products, 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.
The inspections were conducted ahead of the festival season at facilities linked to Swiggy Instamart, Reliance Retail Limited, Zomato Hyperpure and Zepto Limited, according to an official release cited by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on Saturday. The department also classified four ghee samples as substandard.
At Swiggy Instamart’s premises in Uttam Nagar, officials found expired frozen green peas, Greek yoghurt, eggless chocolate-chip brownies and cow ghee products. Some packets of sprouts, fruits and vegetables did not carry expiry dates, the statement said.
An inspection at Reliance Retail Limited’s premises in the Wazirpur Industrial Area found flies, mosquitoes and a lizard, along with spider webs. At Zomato Hyperpure’s premises in Ghevra, officials found expired products and unhygienic conditions, according to the CMO release.
At Zepto Limited’s premises in Jheel Khureja, officials identified shortcomings in maintaining the prescribed cold-storage temperature. Cockroaches and spider webs were also found at the facility, the statement said.
The inspections highlight the food-safety responsibilities attached to the increasingly important storage and fulfilment network behind online grocery deliveries. Products ordered through digital platforms may pass through warehouses and dark stores before reaching consumers, making storage conditions, expiry-date checks and temperature controls central to public safety.
The department collected 59 samples of different desi ghee brands from markets across Delhi. The CMO statement said samples from 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 were among those declared unsafe for human consumption.
Samples from Nova, Govardhan Pure Cow Ghee and Pratap Desi Ghee were classified as substandard. Orders were issued to shut establishments selling unsafe ghee, and their licences were suspended, the statement said.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said compromising food quality or endangering public health through adulteration was unacceptable. “The health and safety of Delhiites will not be compromised. The Food Safety Department has been directed to tighten monitoring of markets, food storage facilities and establishments supplying food products through online platforms. Action must be taken in accordance with the rules wherever food safety standards are violated,” she said.
The Chief Minister’s Office said the government’s objective was not limited to identifying deficiencies but also included ensuring access to safe and quality food for every family in Delhi. It added that protecting public health and ensuring accountability in the food trade remained government priorities.
