The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) dispatched notices on Friday to the operator of Radisson Blu Hotel in New Delhi, along with e-commerce platforms Flipkart and BigBasket, citing breaches of food safety standards and inaccurate labelling claims attached to an edible oil product, as part of a broader set of enforcement steps taken by the regulator.
A formal notice directed at AB Hotels Ltd — the operator behind Radisson Blu Hotel in New Delhi — cited the food regulator's findings of inadequate upkeep across both the premises and its equipment, with rust on machinery, leakage from freezers, and shortfalls in refrigeration systems, temperature controls, ventilation, flooring, and lighting all recorded among the concerns.
Inspectors from the FSSAI flagged a range of hygiene deficiencies at the site, among them pooled water, blocked drainage, accumulated food waste, insufficient sanitisation routines, and evidence of cockroaches and flies pointing to gaps in pest management. Mould-affected produce and spoiled vegetables were among the items accepted during intake, pointing to gaps in how food purchasing and delivery checks were being carried out. Shortfalls in how suppliers were vetted and how products were tracked through the supply chain formed part of what the regulator flagged in its findings.
Food safety inspectors found that the hotel's NYC Kitchen had been using cooking oils whose total polar compound (TPC) readings — recorded at 31 and 24.4 respectively — exceeded the threshold at which such oils are considered fit for use, with the FSSAI noting that the mandatory suitability checks on those oils had not been performed.
Among the findings were concerns about how raw and cooked foods were stored together, along with a failure to keep vegetarian and non-vegetarian items apart from one another. Inspectors noted that staff handling food lacked protective gloves and hairnets, had jewellery on, and had not trimmed their nails to an appropriate length.
Orders went out to the hotel operator requiring prompt remedial action alongside the filing of a comprehensive written report on steps already taken. The regulator noted that non-compliance by the entity leaves open the door to escalating measures, up to and including revocation of its FSSAI operating licence.
Formal notices were dispatched by the FSSAI to three companies — Gemini Edibles & Fats India Ltd, Innovative Retail Concepts Pvt Ltd (the entity behind BigBasket), and Flipkart India Pvt Ltd — over labelling and promotional claims attached to "Freedom Cooking Rice Bran Oil" that the regulator contends may be misleading to consumers.
Marketed across e-commerce platforms and social media channels, the product carried messaging that pointed to cholesterol benefits — among them, the assertion that it lowers harmful cholesterol while supporting or elevating the beneficial kind, alongside a claim of containing more than 10,000 PPM of naturally derived Oryzanol. Under the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, such marketing assertions about edible vegetable oils fell outside what the regulator determined to be allowable under the relevant regulatory provisions.
Investigators further determined that Gemini Edibles had been making products available for purchase through its own e-commerce platform at a time when no valid Central Licence authorising such online retail operations was in place. A show-cause notice has been issued to each of the implicated firms by the FSSAI, asking them to explain why regulatory proceedings ought not to be brought against them.
A licence held by DNV Food Products Ltd was withdrawn with immediate effect by the regulator, which had identified food production, packaging, and storage taking place in conditions deemed unhygienic — the third enforcement step taken against the company. Among the infractions documented by the FSSAI were flies, pools of standing water, and cobwebs throughout the premises — including one fly found resting directly on papad.
