Notice for Vimal Elaichi ad, Blinkit dark stores' licence suspension: Tukaram Mundhe’s FDA crackdown in Maharashtra
The Maharashtra FDA suspended 14 food business licenses linked to Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart for severe food safety violations after statewide inspections. It has served show-cause notices on actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over their endorsement of Vimal Elaichi.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the licences of 14 food businesses associated with online platforms Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart due to serious food safety and hygiene violations uncovered during a state-wide inspection drive on August 13. Five of the suspended licences belonged to Blinkit facilities and another five to Zepto, with the remaining two to Instamart and one each to Bhagwati Stores and Swinsta Ent Pvt Ltd. The FDA flagged the Vimal Elaichi advertisement as potentially misleading consumers about food safety, as it appeared to promote a banned pan masala product.
The regulator also served show-cause notices to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff for endorsing the Vimal Elaichi advertisement. Blinkit facilities in Malad (West) and Ghatkopar were found to have chiller rooms operating at unsafe temperatures and several workers lacking proper protective gear. The FDA instructed the actors to stop endorsing the advertisement and to remove related promotional material from their digital platforms.
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