The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) plans to amend regulations to hold e-commerce platforms like Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, and Amazon Now accountable for misleading food claims by manufacturers. The new rules will require platforms to display manufacturing dates, expiry dates, and batch numbers on every food listing, a move announced this week by FSSAI CEO Rajit Punhani, according to medianama.com.
FSSAI aims to tighten accountability by making platforms responsible for the accuracy of product information. Punhani said the authority is consulting e-commerce and quick-commerce companies and has begun inspecting dark stores and cloud kitchens. The rules will also mandate photographs and addresses of dark kitchens and enforce stricter checks on storage conditions, including for frozen products. FSSAI has already issued show-cause notices to Amazon, Flipkart, and Netmeds, along with manufacturers such as Dr Reddy’s and Nestle Health Science, for misleading claims, per medianama.com.
This regulatory shift addresses concerns about consumer protection in online food sales, where platforms often show only shelf life without actual expiry dates. By holding marketplaces liable, FSSAI challenges the existing ‘marketplace defence’ that shields platforms from manufacturers’ claims. The move aligns with growing scrutiny of e-commerce food safety and could impact major players in India’s fast-growing quick-commerce sector, which includes Blinkit and Instamart.
FSSAI has not yet published a draft or timeline for the new rules. The authority’s recent show-cause notices on October 8 highlight its enforcement approach, signaling a stricter regulatory environment for online food marketplaces in India, according to medianama.com.