FSSAI Asks State Food Safety Officers To Step Up Surveillance At Warehouses Of E-Commerce Firms

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India convened a meeting with food commissioners of various states on Thursday and directed them to increase surveillance of warehouses and other facilities used by e-commerce platforms.

During the day-long meeting, the food regulator has also asked the states to issue standard operating procedures for these facilities, as well as for the delivery personnel of e-commerce platforms, to ensure the food safety.

According to an official statement, states and Union territories were instructed to increase the collection of surveillance samples and to deploy mobile food safety units, referred to as "food safety on wheels" for this purpose. The committee also highlighted the importance of training food business operators across all regions to promote hygiene and safety in food handling.

The discussions took place during the 45th central advisory committee meeting, chaired by FSSAI Chief Executive Officer G Kamala Vardhana Rao in New Delhi.

The first day of the two-day event saw participation from food safety commissioners of all states and union territories. Over 60 officials attended, including representatives from the food industry, consumer groups, agriculture sectors, laboratories, and research organisations.

This initiative comes in response to rising concerns over violations of food safety standards in e-commerce and quick-commerce facilities. The FSSAI is also set to meet with quick-commerce platforms next week to address these issues.

Both quick commerce and e-commerce companies are currently under intense regulatory scrutiny. In a separate development, the Enforcement Directorate has conducted searches at the premises of sellers associated with Amazon and Flipkart, examining whether these e-commerce giants are exerting control over the inventories of significant sellers. These searches follow a Competition Commission of India probe that revealed preferential treatment by Amazon and Flipkart towards select larger sellers.

The agency initiated its investigation based on complaints alleging that both companies violated foreign investment norms by directly or indirectly manipulating the sale prices of goods and failing to provide a level-playing field for all sellers.

In light of the upcoming peak tourist season from November to March, states and union territories have also been advised to step up surveillance at popular tourist spots.

With the expected surge of both domestic and international tourists, the use of mobile food safety labs at these locations has been recommended. Another key issue discussed was the need to adopt an integrated approach to food safety. FSSAI officials urged all related ministries, stakeholders to collaborate, and asked states to hold advisory committee meetings more frequently at the state and district levels.

According to the statement, the states were also urged to train at least 25 lakh food handlers by March 2026, including those working in university, college, and hostel canteens.