Delhi food safety raids at warehouses and dark stores operated by quick-commerce and retail companies have found expired food products, poor hygiene, pest presence, inadequate temperature control and labelling deficiencies, according to a report by Live Hindustan – NCR.
The inspections were conducted by the Delhi Food Safety Department across several locations during a campaign against the sale of adulterated and substandard food products around the festival season. Officials inspected storage facilities linked to Swiggy Instamart, Reliance Retail, Zomato Hyperpure, Zepto and Blink Commerce.
At a Swiggy Instamart facility in Uttam Nagar, officials found expired frozen green peas, Greek yoghurt, eggless chocolate-chip brownies and cow ghee products. Some packets containing sprouts, fruits and vegetables reportedly did not carry expiry dates. The report also said that the department found deficiencies in storage practices, damaged packaging and shortcomings in product labelling during the inspections.
At a Reliance Retail facility in the Wazirpur industrial area, flies, mosquitoes and a lizard were reportedly observed. At Zomato Hyperpure’s facility in Gheورا, officials found expired Coca-Cola Diet and Nestle Shikanji products, according to the report. At a Zepto facility in Jheel Khureja, the cold-storage temperature was not maintained at the prescribed level.
The inspections also covered Blink Commerce facilities on Asaf Ali Road and in Daryaganj, where officials found dirty crates and dust in food storage areas. At a Rohini store, food products were reportedly not separated in a manner that would adequately reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
The findings put the spotlight on the storage and compliance systems behind fast grocery deliveries. While consumers typically see only the ordering interface and delivery process, food safety depends on conditions inside warehouses, dark stores and cold-storage units, including stock rotation, expiry checks, temperature monitoring, pest control and product segregation.
The department also collected 59 samples of different brands of desi ghee from markets in Nahar Pur, Posangipur, Laxmi Nagar, Preet Vihar, Rampura, Tagore Garden, Kalyanpuri, Krishna Vihar and Kondli. Of these, 19 samples were found unsafe for human consumption and four did not meet food safety standards. The report said that more than 42 per cent of the samples failed to meet the relevant standards.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that compromising food quality and putting people’s health at risk would not be accepted. The food safety department’s inspection campaign is continuing across Delhi’s food storage and retail network, with the reported findings forming the basis for further action under applicable food safety rules.
