Bengaluru’s food safety probe has put quick-commerce firms under a sharp spotlight. What began as checks at dark stores grew into a case, with officials finding expired and wrongly labelled goods in Amazon and Instamart facilities worth crores.
Amazon and Instamart face fresh scrutiny
As reported by Indian Express, Karnataka food safety officials confiscated expired and incorrectly labelled food products worth ₹1.38 crore during inspections at delivery storage facilities in Bengaluru. They also seized medicines worth around ₹4.02L that were allegedly being stored without the required licences. The drive was carried out by the Food Safety and Drugs Administration. Two Amazon sites were checked.
Drugs worth ₹2.45L was taken. At the BLR7 unit in Anekal, food worth ₹19L had labelling issues, while expired food worth ₹13L was seized. Medicines worth around ₹1.57L were also found. The checks covered Amazon’s facilities in Devanahalli and Anekal, along with a Swiggy Instamart site in Hoskote and other units. The wider drive looked at expiry dates, labels and safety rules. Officials said the action was part of a special enforcement drive there.
Instamart site shut as probe grows
The Instamart facility in Hoskote had expired food worth ₹42L. Officials said the site was shut down after they found unhygienic conditions and breaches of food safety rules. The investigation is still going on. Around ₹1 crore worth of expired and mislabelled stock was also being examined. The probe also moved beyond big online firms. A facility called Leo 7 Enterprises in Lingarajapuram was found storing food that was expired or close to expiry.
The company had been buying expired products and changing expiry dates before sending them back into the market. The site was later shut. The wider crackdown led to the seizure of goods worth around ₹3 crore in one week from different places. That figure is broader than the ₹1.38 crore food total reported from the main inspections. The operation was linked to information that surfaced after a cancelled “peptide party”, which led officials to look into where its supplies had come from.
Amazon and Instamart: Questions raised over quick-commerce safety
The case has raised questions about how food is checked before it reaches shoppers. Quick-commerce services depend on speed, but food still needs storage, clear labels and valid expiry dates. Officials are now looking at how such products entered storage and supply chains. The action also included smaller shops, where expired food was found. At Saptha Bazaar in HBR Layout, officers seized items including biscuits, ragi flour, paneer, eggs and flour worth about ₹10,000.
Health Minister U T Khader said the government wants tougher action against such practices. Officials are also asking people to report suspicious food products so more checks can be carried out. For customers, the issue is simple. A fast delivery means little if the product inside the bag is not safe. The Bengaluru case may now push online food businesses and stores to take a closer look at stock, labels and expiry dates.
Author’s Opinion
The case shows why speed cannot come before safety. Quick delivery is useful, but basic checks still matter. The probe should now focus on how expired goods entered storage and supply chains, while companies must ensure stronger checks at every stage.
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