Archive · 16 Aug 2026
Rat in Kalyan Blinkit Freezer Sparks Food Safety Concerns
Some young people went to a store called Blinkit to buy ice cream.
Inside the freezer where the ice cream was kept, they saw a rat.
They recorded what they saw on their phones.
People in the area were upset and asked the FDA, a food safety group, to check the store.
The store is in a town called Kalyan in India.
The FDA had already been checking many online food stores.
They found hygiene problems at stores like Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart.
The FDA stopped 14 stores from selling food for a while.
The Blinkit store has not said anything about the rat yet.
The FDA also told three famous actors to delete videos about a product called Vimal Elaichi because it is linked to pan masala.
A rat was allegedly found inside an ice cream freezer at a Blinkit outlet in the Godrej Hill area of Kalyan, Thane, Maharashtra.
Youngsters who visited the store to buy ice cream noticed the rat near packaged food items and recorded the incident on their phones.
Locals have called for action by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) following the incident.
The Maharashtra FDA inspected 86 establishments, found food safety and hygiene lapses involving platforms including Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart, and suspended 14 licences.
The FDA also issued show-cause notices to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over their association with a Vimal Elaichi advertisement.
No statement had been issued by the outlet or the brand at the time of reporting.
- Who
- Customers at a Blinkit outlet in Kalyan, locals, and the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe.
- What
- A rat was allegedly found inside an ice cream freezer at a Blinkit outlet, prompting calls for FDA action amid a broader food safety inspection drive.
- When
- Reported on August 16, 2026.
- Where
- Godrej Hill area of Kalyan, Thane, Maharashtra, India.
- Why
- Concerns over food safety and hygiene lapses at online food storage, sale and delivery establishments.
- Incident
- Rat allegedly found in an ice cream freezer at a Blinkit outlet
- Location
- Godrej Hill area, Kalyan, Thane, Maharashtra
- Establishments inspected by FDA
- 86
- Licences suspended
- 14
- Platforms flagged
- Blinkit, Zepto, Instamart
- FDA Commissioner
- Tukaram Mundhe
- Show-cause notices
- Issued to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over the Vimal Elaichi advertisement
- Statement from outlet
- None issued so far