Telangana Blinkit Warehouse Raided, Major Violations Found
The Telangana Food Safety Department’s task force raided a Zomato-owned Blinkit warehouse near Hyderabad and found multiple violations.
A recent investigation by the Telangana Food Safety Department has uncovered multiple food safety and hygiene violations at a Blinkit warehouse in Devar Yamjal, Medchal Malkajgiri District near Hyderabad. This discovery comes after reports of customers finding centipedes, dead mice, a blade, and even a frog in food products ordered through delivery apps like Zepto and Blinkit.
Although these delivery apps do not produce or package the food, they are responsible for ensuring safe storage and handling of the products. On June 5, 2024, the Telangana Food Safety Department’s task force inspected the Blinkit warehouse and found several violations.
Key violations included:
- Disorganised and unhygienic conditions with dusty racks.
- No Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) trainee present.
- Food handlers not wearing headgear, gloves, or aprons.
- Missing medical certificates for food handlers.
- Cosmetic products stored alongside food items.
- Incorrect warehouse licence and address on the label.
- Expired products worth ?30,000/- seized, including suji, raw peanut butter, maida, poha, besan, and bajra.
- Infested ragi flour and toor dal worth ?52,000/- seized, with samples sent for lab testing.
The Department shared the raid’s findings on their X (Twitter) account, stating that notices would be issued and further action would follow. Blinkit responded, saying, "We take safety and hygiene standards very seriously. We are closely working with our warehouse partner and the Food Safety Department to implement corrective actions from the findings."
Dr. Sudhir Kumar, a consultant neurologist at Hyderabad’s Apollo Hospital, explained the risks of infections due to unhygienic storage. "Infections such as typhoid and cholera are common due to poor storage conditions. Storing food beyond its expiry date increases the risk of contamination," he said. He also mentioned other health issues like respiratory problems, gastrointestinal illnesses, skin allergies, and weakened immune systems.
These incidents have raised concerns among netizens about the safety of ordering food from delivery apps. Would you continue to order from these apps? Tell us in the comments.
