Enforcement action by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India covered six food businesses, among them BigBasket and Flipkart. Regulatory proceedings were opened on grounds spanning food-labelling claims deemed misleading, gaps in hygiene and sanitation standards, and the absence of required operating licences.
Among the steps taken by regulators were the revoking of one licence, the placing of another on suspension, the issuing of an improvement notice directed at a hotel, and the forwarding of show-cause notices tied to the promotion of Freedom Cooking Rice Bran Oil.
Food safety regulators revoked Jhanvitanni's operating licence, citing the company's repeated failure to meet established food safety standards. Inspectors determined that the premises fell short of required hygiene and sanitation standards, and the business continued trading after a suspension order had been put in place.
In a separate action, DNV Food Products Limited had its operating licence withdrawn by FSSAI after on-site inspectors found that conditions across the manufacturing floor, packaging area, and storage facilities fell below hygiene standards.
An improvement notice directed at AB Hotels Limited — the operator behind Radisson Blu Hotel in New Delhi — was issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Auditors catalogued a range of food hygiene and safety shortcomings at the facility, pointing to corroded equipment, leaking freezer units, insufficient cold storage capacity, and gaps in how temperatures were being tracked. Among the additional deficiencies recorded were inadequate airflow throughout the space, flooring in a state of disrepair, water drainage that was not functioning properly, and an infestation of cockroaches and flies.
Regulatory notices from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India went out to three companies — Gemini Edibles & Fats India Limited, Innovative Retail Concepts Private Limited, which runs the BigBasket platform, and Flipkart India Private Limited. Regulatory steps were initiated in response to advertising claims connected to Freedom Cooking Rice Bran Oil. Listings across e-commerce platforms and social media promoted the item by pointing to cholesterol-related claims — among them, a purported ability to bring down low-density lipoprotein levels and support or lift high-density lipoprotein levels — none of which had been independently verified.
Regulatory actions carried out under FSSAI's authority spanned food producers, hospitality operators, and online retail channels. Licence cancellations and suspensions belong to a distinct category of regulatory enforcement, separate from both the notices tied to rice bran oil labelling claims and the improvement notice directed at Radisson Blu Delhi.
Operators in the food sector are expected to keep production and storage environments clean, hold valid licences, maintain the documentation that regulators require, and avoid placing health claims on product packaging or marketing materials without the necessary authorisation.
