The Food & Safety Standards Association of India (FSSAI) conducted an inspection at a Blinkit warehouse in the state and discovered that the space was “disorganized, unhygienic,” and in violation of several food handling and storage regulations. Further actions are pending.
On June 6, the Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana, announced on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) that a task force had inspected the Blinkit warehouse at Devar Yamjal in the Medchal-Malkajgiri district of the state.
Violations Found
The Commissioner noted various violations, including that the premises were “very disorganized, unhygienic, and dusty at storage racks.”
Additionally, there was no Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) trainee present at the site. The food handlers were not wearing headgear, gloves, or aprons, and did not possess medical fitness certificates.
The team also seized suspected infested whole farm ragi flour and toor dal worth ₹52,000 and sent samples to a lab for testing. The commissioner stated that a notice regarding the investigation would be issued, and further action would be taken accordingly.
Notices to be Issued
The team also discovered that Whole Farm Congruence Trade and Services’ license did not comply with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Act), regarding the address mentioned on the label. A notice will be sent regarding this issue.
Additionally, Kamakshi Foods’ license was found to be expired, leading to the seizure of products from the company, including suji, raw peanut butter, maida, poha, besan, and bajra, worth Rs. 30,000.
A Blinkit spokesperson informed the media that they are collaborating with their warehouse partner to address the issues.
“We take safety and hygiene standards very seriously. We are closely working with our warehouse partner and the Food safety department to implement corrective actions from the findings,” the Blinkit spokesperson stated.
