Ahead of the Diwali festival, when consumer demand for sweets and dairy products surges sharply across Maharashtra, the state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has intensified enforcement of food safety regulations. Following extensive statewide inspections, regulatory authorities suspended 105 food business licences and directed seven commercial units to immediately cease operations. The enforcement decisions were announced on Friday, November 6, concluding two days of intense field inspections conducted on November 4 and 5.
The administrative action has targeted high-profile quick-commerce delivery operations alongside conventional eateries. Among the entities facing licence suspensions are Mumbai-based operations of Blink Commerce Pvt Ltd and Zepto Ltd, as well as several sweet vendors, dairy suppliers, hotels, restaurants, and catering services. Official notifications from the regulator did not specify the exact counts or street addresses of the affected dark stores operated by Blinkit or Zepto.
Regional Distribution of Suspensions Across Divisions
Inspectors across multiple administrative jurisdictions cited serious deviations from prescribed sanitation standards. Among the districts, Nashik recorded the highest number of licence suspensions, with regulatory actions taken against 39 units. Mumbai logged 28 suspensions, followed by Pune with 20 and Amravati with 15. Elsewhere in the state, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division registered two suspensions, while Thane reported one.
Alongside the temporary suspension of operating credentials, seven businesses were served direct closure orders due to severe non-compliance. These shutdowns were distributed across Pune with three closures, Amravati with two, and Mumbai and the Konkan region with one each. Named establishments under the closure orders include Rajdhani Biryani Centre in Mumbai and Aaradhana Dryfruit Sweets in Bhiwandi, together with three food establishments in Pune. Legally, any business holding a suspended licence is barred from manufacturing, storing, or selling food items for the entire duration of the order.
Large-Scale Seizures of Adulterated and Substandard Produce
During the two-day campaign, enforcement personnel inspected over 70 non-compliant establishments, seizing 39,485.42 kg of food items with an estimated market value of Rs 1.35 crore. The seized commodities comprised festive staples including mawa, khoa, paneer, ghee, cooking oil, farsan, dry fruits, and processed sweets.
The Pune region witnessed the largest volume of confiscations, where officials seized 14,429.7 kg of products valued at Rs 49.36 lakh. Inspections in the Konkan zone yielded seizures worth Rs 32.52 lakh, while Nashik recorded confiscations totaling Rs 28.35 lakh. In parallel operations, FDA officers seized banned gutkha and pan masala worth Rs 7.96 lakh across three locations. These raids led to the filing of three FIRs, the arrest of two individuals, the seizure of two transport vehicles valued at Rs 4.70 lakh, and the sealing of two business premises.
Hygiene Violations and Historical Scrutiny of Delivery Hubs
Enforcement reports detailed unsanitary processing environments, unhygienic storage, improper packaging, lack of pest management, and an absence of temperature-regulated storage for perishable inventory. Additionally, multiple units failed to produce mandatory compliance certificates and regulatory records required under current food safety legislation.
Quick-commerce delivery platforms have faced similar regulatory scrutiny in recent months. In August, the Maharashtra FDA conducted a drive across 86 locations, resulting in 14 licence suspensions. That action involved five facilities each belonging to Blinkit and Zepto, two belonging to Instamart, and individual facilities of Bhagwati Stores and Swinsta Ent Pvt Ltd. During that drive, a Zepto unit located in Pune's Lohegaon was suspended over cold chain temperature failures. Earlier in June 2025, regulators suspended Zepto's licence in Dharavi and shut down a Blinkit dark store operating in Pune's Baner-Balewadi locality for lacking a valid permit.
