Blinkit Store In Mumbai Shut After FDA Inspection Flags Cockroaches, Expired Food

A
outi e
food-safety
i spectio
at
a
quick-comme ce
facility
i
Mumbai
has
tu ed
i to
egulato y
actio
afte
officials
fou d
cock oaches
o
f uit
a d
vegetable
stock,
expi ed
food
p oducts
a d
food
items
sto ed
di ectly
o
the
floo .

The
Maha asht a
Food
a d
D ug
Admi ist atio
(FDA)
suspe ded
the
food
lice ce
of
a
Bli k
Comme ce
P ivate
Limited
sto e
i
Malad
West
followi g
the
i spectio
co ducted
o
August
7.

The
fi di gs
we t
beyo d
a
si gle
sto age
issue.
Officials
flagged
usty
acks,
poo ly
mai tai ed
cold-sto age
a eas
a d
i adequate
pest
a d
ode t
co t ol
measu es,
alo g
with
co ce s
ove
the
way
food
p oducts
we e
bei g
ha dled
a d
mo ito ed,
epo ted
Busi ess
Today.

Fo
a
busi ess
built
a ou d
getti g
g oce ies
a d
othe
p oducts
to
co sume s
quickly,
the
i spectio
put
the
focus
squa ely
o
what
happe s
i side
the
sto e
befo e
those
p oducts
leave
fo
a
custome ‘s
doo step.

Expi ed
P oducts,
Damaged
Items
Fou d
Du i g
I spectio

The
i spectio
u cove ed
seve al
p oblems
with
food
sto age
a d
i ve to y
ma ageme t.

Acco di g
to
the
Maha asht a
FDA,
some
food
p oducts
at
the
facility
had
expi ed,
while
othe
items
we e
fou d
to
be
damaged
o
appea ed
to
have
bee
tampe ed
with.

Officials
also
fou d
food
p oducts
bei g
kept
di ectly
o
the
floo .
The
sto age
acks
we e
usty
a d
the
cold-sto age
a eas
we e
ot
adequately
mai tai ed.

Pest
co t ol
eme ged
as
a othe
co ce ,
with
a
la ge
umbe
of
cock oaches
obse ved
o
f uit
a d
vegetable
stock.
The
FDA
also
oted
that
measu es
to
co t ol
pests
a d
ode ts
we e
i adequate.

The
facility
was
fu the
fou d
to
be
ot
p ope ly
followi g
the
Fi st
I ,
Fi st
Out
(FIFO)
a d
Fi st
Expi y,
Fi st
Out
(FEFO)
systems
fo
ma agi g
food
i ve to y.

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Hopes
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Food
Ha dle s’
Hygie e
Also
Flagged

The
i spectio
did
ot
stop
at
the
co ditio
of
the
p oducts
a d
sto age
a eas.

The
FDA
ide tified
sho tcomi gs
i
waste
ma ageme t
as
well
as
the
pe so al
hygie e
of
employees
ha dli g
food.
Medical
exami atio s
a d
health
eco ds
of
food-ha dli g
wo ke s
we e
fou d
to
be
i adequate.

The
p ovisio
of
equi ed
pe so al
p otective
equipme t
(PPE)
was
also
fou d
to
be
u satisfacto y.

Followi g
the
i spectio ,
the
FDA
suspe ded
the
establishme t’s
food
lice ce
u de
Sectio
32(3)
of
the
Food
Safety
a d
Sta da ds
Act,
2006.

The
o de
di ects
the
food
busi ess
ope atio s
at
the
establishme t
to
emai
suspe ded
u til
fu the
i st uctio s.

Bli kit
Actio
Pa t
Of
La ge
Mumbai
Food
Safety
D ive

The
actio
agai st
the
Malad
West
facility
comes
as
the
Maha asht a
FDA
ca ies
out
a
wide
e fo ceme t
d ive
ac oss
Mumbai
u de
Commissio e
Tuka am
Mu dhe.

Betwee
May
25
a d
July
31,
the
depa tme t
i spected
3,137
hotels,
estau a ts,
eate ies
a d
othe
food
establishme ts
ac oss
the
city.

The
i spectio s
esulted
i
764
imp oveme t
otices
a d
165
lice ce
suspe sio s.

The
scale
of
the
e fo ceme t
actio
ca
also
be
see
i
the
qua tity
of
food
p oducts
seized
o
dest oyed.
Acco di g
to
Mu dhe,
p oducts
weighi g
28.66
lakh
kg,
with
a
value
of
Rs
55.72
c o e,
we e
seized
o
dest oyed
du i g
the
d ive.

What
Happe s
Afte
A
Food
Lice ce
Is
Suspe ded?

A
lice ce
suspe sio
does
ot
ecessa ily
mea
that
a
establishme t
will
emai
shut
pe ma e tly.

Mu dhe
has
cla ified
that
busi esses
faci g
suspe sio
a e
give
a
oppo tu ity
to
ectify
the
violatio s
ide tified
du i g
i spectio s.
Afte
complia ce
is
ve ified,
the
FDA
co ducts
hea i gs
befo e
decidi g
whethe
the
suspe sio
should
be
evoked.

Of
the
165
establishme ts
whose
lice ces
we e
suspe ded
du i g
the
e fo ceme t
d ive,
103
have
filed
appeals.
I te im
elief
has
bee
g a ted
i
eligible
cases
afte
complia ce
ve ificatio .

The
p ocess
the efo e
allows
establishme ts
to
add ess
the
deficie cies
ide tified
by
the
food
safety
autho ity
befo e
a
fi al
decisio
is
take .

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FDA
Asks
Citize s
To
Repo t
Violatio s

The
Maha asht a
FDA
has
u ged
citize s
to
epo t
food-safety
violatio s
a d
st essed
that
food
quality
a d
hygie e
sta da ds
ca ot
be
comp omised.

Fo
the
Bli kit
facility
i
Malad
West,
the
immediate
outcome
of
the
August
7
i spectio
is
clea :
its
food
lice ce
has
bee
suspe ded
followi g
fi di gs
that
i cluded
expi ed
p oducts,
i adequate
sto age
co ditio s,
pest-co t ol
sho tcomi gs
a d
deficie cies
i
food-ha dle
hygie e.

The
case
also
comes
amid
a
b oade
i spectio
d ive
i
Mumbai,
whe e
the
food
safety
depa tme t
is
sc uti isi g
establishme ts
ac oss
the
city
fo
complia ce
with
food
safety
equi eme ts.

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