FDA orders suspension of Reliance Retail, Blinkit licences in Pune district over expired stock

Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued orders to suspend the licences of Reliance Retail Limited at Chakan and Blinkit Commerce Pvt. Ltd. at Nighoje in Pune district. According to a press release issued on Friday, inspectors found deficiencies in expired and spoiled food items, and no verifiable record of their disposal.

Both sites were part of a special drive run in October. The aim was to stop expired, spoiled, rejected or damaged food from returning to the market in the name of disposal. The FDA said six licences were suspended with immediate effect, suspension orders were issued against two more establishments, and two FIRs were registered.

The release puts the total value of goods linked to the Chakan and Nighoje establishments at Rs 6.49 lakh. It does not say how that amount splits between the two places, nor on which dates the suspension orders were issued. A table in the release shows the value of goods at all establishments covered by the action at about Rs 5 crore. The table calls this the value of seized goods, but some entries say the goods were "found" or "recorded", not clearly seized.

The FDA said the inspections focused on whether businesses could prove where expired and rejected stock went after it left the premises. The release said: "A claim that expired, spoiled or rejected stock was simply handed over to a disposal vendor is not sufficient." The agency said records must show the movement of goods through transport and receipt to final destruction or lawful disposal.

At the warehouse of Reliance Consumer Products Limited in Vadpe, Bhiwandi, inspectors recorded expired and damaged goods worth about Rs 4.92 lakh. The FDA said records of quantity, transport, receipt and final disposal were incomplete. After a hearing, its licence was suspended with immediate effect on October 15. The licence of Reliance Retail Limited's Vadpe warehouse was also suspended on October 15. About 300 kg of spoiled and expired goods was found in the quarantine area, while the final disposal certificate, vehicle details and weighbridge slips were not produced. The release puts the value of these goods at Rs 51,264.

At Zomato Hyperpure Pvt. Ltd. in Usatane, Ambernath, inspectors recorded 5,431 spoiled, expired or rejected products. They weigh about 9,590 kg and are worth Rs 7.81 lakh. The FDA also cited deficiencies in cleanliness, the cold chain and vehicles. Its licence was suspended on October 15 after a hearing.

At the warehouse of Blink Commerce Pvt. Ltd. in Pagaon village, Bhiwandi, about 18,405 expired and spoiled food items worth Rs 32.72 lakh were found. A representative cited agreements with disposal agencies, but the FDA said the required records of transport, weighing, receipt and final disposal were incomplete. The licence was suspended on October 22, and an FIR was registered at Bhiwandi Taluka police station on October 23.

Action was also taken against Cloudstore Retail Pvt. Ltd. at One K-Square Park near the Padgha toll naka in Bhiwandi. There, 7,566 expired, spoiled and rejected food items worth Rs 6.88 lakh were recorded. The FDA said an agreement with a disposal vendor was shown, but there were no complete records to independently verify the movement and destruction of the goods. The licence was suspended on October 26, and an FIR was registered at Padgha police station the same day.

At Savla Foods and Cold Storage Pvt. Ltd. in Turbhe, Navi Mumbai, the FDA seized 91,353 kg of food worth about Rs 4.13 crore during inspections on October 24 and 25. The cold store held goods of several food businesses. The seized stock included about 17,144 kg of expired goods, and, according to the FDA, unlabelled and wrongly labelled food. Officials took 32 samples for analysis and suspended the establishment's licence.

At a discount store on Naigaon Road in Bhiwandi, inspectors seized expired, spoiled and leaking food worth about Rs 80,575, allegedly kept for sale. The FDA said purchase bills, inward records and supplier documents were not found. At M/s Gulzar Abdul Mubeen Khan in Chavindra, Bhiwandi, about 429 kg of spoiled, expired or damaged food worth Rs 86,825 was found. The FDA said food was being stored and sold there without valid registration or licence, and the premises were unclean. Directions were issued to shut the business.

The FDA said an inquiry is continuing into the source, quantity and actual disposal of goods at the premises of B. K. Dispose in Khoni and Kamba villages, Bhiwandi. The necessary records, including inward and outward registers and proof of final disposal, were allegedly not available. The press release said: "The mere availability of a vendor's name, an agreement or a tax invoice does not establish that disposal actually took place."

The FDA described the licence suspensions as precautionary regulatory action. The agency said any criminal liability will be decided through investigation and the judicial process. The absence of disposal records alone does not prove the food was resold.