FMCG distributors seek FSSAI norms for dark stores after crackdown

Some stores that deliver groceries very fast are called dark stores.

They are like small warehouses where food is kept before it is sent to your home.

Recently, officials in Maharashtra checked 86 of these places and stopped 14 food licenses belonging to Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart.

They found problems with how food was stored, kept clean, and kept at the right temperature.

A group called AICPDF, which represents product distributors, wants new rules for these dark stores.

They asked the food safety authority, FSSAI, to decide how much space a dark store needs based on how many products it holds.

They suggested a formula: each product should get a little bit of space, so a store with 65,000 products would need about 23,000 to 26,000 square feet.

They also want separate areas for damaged or expired food, good pest control, and regular checks.

The group says food safety should not be rushed just because delivery is promised in 10 minutes.

They want the same safety rules for fast delivery stores as for regular shops.

This way, customers do not have to check every package themselves to make sure their food is safe.