Archive · 17 Aug 2026
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.
Maharashtra FDA suspended 14 food-business licences linked to Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart after inspecting 86 online food storage and delivery establishments.
The All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) has asked FSSAI to set scientific storage-space norms for quick-commerce dark stores.
AICPDF proposed an SKU-to-space ratio of 0.35–0.40 sq ft per SKU, meaning a dark store with around 65,000 SKUs would need roughly 23,000–26,000 sq ft.
The proposed framework includes aisle and movement space, food-category segregation, temperature-controlled storage, pest control, sanitation, audits and traceability.
AICPDF wants nationwide surprise inspections and equal food-safety standards for quick commerce and traditional trade; expired food was reportedly found at a Zepto outlet in Pune.
- Who
- The All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF), led by National President Dhairyashil H. Patil, along with FSSAI and the Maharashtra FDA.
- What
- A call for a national regulatory framework setting food-safety and storage-space norms for quick-commerce dark stores after 14 licences linked to Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart were suspended.
- When
- Reported on August 17, 2026, following a recent Maharashtra FDA crackdown.
- Where
- Maharashtra, India, including inspections and reported incidents in Kalyan, Mumbai, Pune and Dharavi.
- Why
- To ensure dark stores meet the same food-safety, hygiene and storage standards as traditional distributors after alleged deficiencies were found.
Food-safety regulators and distributors
Quick-commerce platforms
Dark store space standards
Food-safety regulators and distributors
Storage capacity should be set scientifically by FSSAI based on the number and type of products stocked, using a proposed SKU-to-space ratio.
Quick-commerce platforms
Storage capacity has been driven primarily by commercial considerations rather than regulatory formulas.
Delivery speed vs food safety
Food-safety regulators and distributors
Food safety cannot operate on a 10-minute business model, and consumers should not have to act as food inspectors.
Quick-commerce platforms
Quick commerce promises delivery in 10 minutes and consumer convenience, which the federation says it does not oppose.
- Licences suspended
- 14
- Establishments inspected
- 86
- Platforms affected
- Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart
- Proposed SKU-to-space ratio
- 0.35–0.40 sq ft per SKU
- Example dark store size
- ~23,000–26,000 sq ft for ~65,000 SKUs
- Regulator asked to set norms
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
- Federation making the demand
- All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF)
- Reported incident
- Expired food found at a Zepto outlet in Pune