FSSAI Cracks Down on Zepto Over Expired Besan Delivery, Approves Legal Action Against Storia

Mounting regulatory pressure has hit India's fast-growing quick commerce ecosystem as statutory food safety watchdog Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) officially issued a show-cause notice to Zepto Marketplace Private Limited following serious consumer allegations of delivering expired groceries. The prompt regulatory intervention came after an aggrieved customer took to social media platform X to flag that two packets of gram flour (besan) delivered by the 10-minute delivery app bore an expiration date of September 12, 2026, meaning the items were dispatched long after their statutory consumption window had lapsed. Alongside clamping down on the hyper-fast delivery unicorn, the apex food regulator approved strict legal proceedings against packaged beverage brand Storia Foods for alleged deceptive branding on its pomegranate juice product, while serving compliance notices to three other wellness and bakery companies for misleading marketing representations.

Zepto Directed to Explain Dark Store Lapse: Demands for Customer Refunds and Stock Audits

The food safety authority has instructed Zepto to submit an exhaustive operational audit detailing how expired consumer items slipped through its dark store fulfillment network:

• Complete Supply Chain Audit: FSSAI directed Zepto Marketplace to verify the customer complaint immediately and provide detailed documentation covering the exact order ID, delivery logs, designated dark store warehouse, sourcing vendor, and batch identification numbers.

• Explanation on Warehouse Protocol Failure: The company must furnish a comprehensive explanation elucidating how products past their expiration threshold remained available on the virtual storefront and passed dispatch scanning checkpoints without detection.

• Recalls, Refunds, and Preventive Action: Zepto has been ordered to confirm whether all remaining inventory of the compromised batch has been pulled from shelves nationwide, notify every impacted consumer who received items from the stock, process full purchase refunds, and lay out long-term preventative compliance mechanisms.

Legal Action Approved Against Storia Foods: Misleading 100% Pomegranate Juice Claims

In a major consumer protection enforcement, FSSAI cleared legal prosecution against Storia Foods and Beverages Pvt Ltd following an inspection into false packaging declarations:

• Deceptive Content Formulation: Official laboratory testing and label evaluations revealed that Storia Pomegranate Juice comprised barely 4% pomegranate juice concentrate along with 12% apple juice concentrate, whereas the product's front-of-pack imagery and bold title created an impression of pure pomegranate beverage.

• Omission of Reconstitution Disclosures: Regulatory mandates require manufacturers to explicitly inform buyers if a packaged drink is reconstituted from concentrated extracts, a disclosure Storia Foods failed to display prominently.

• Contradictory Sugar and 100% Claims: The regulator flagged the company’s assertion of "100% fruit juice equivalent (reconstituted)" as completely inconsistent with national food advisories, while noting contradictory sugar declarations where front labels boasted "no added sugar" despite back panels acknowledging naturally occurring sugars.

• Unsatisfactory Response Triggers Prosecution: Following physical inspections, product sampling, and an unsatisfactory written explanation from company executives, the FSSAI formally approved statutory legal action for violating food safety labelling laws.

FSSAI Widens Net: Misleading Label Notices Issued to HealthyHey, Bakelite & BMS Lifesciences

Demonstrating a zero-tolerance crackdown on false nutritional, therapeutic, and ingredient advertisements, FSSAI issued notices to three additional consumer brands:

• HealthyHey Foods LLP: The health supplement manufacturer was served a formal notice for advertising misleading efficacy claims surrounding its packaged cranberry extract formulation.

• Bakelite Food Processing: The bakery entity received regulatory notices over deceptive ingredient representations and unverified advertising statements printed on its "Puneri Cream Roll" packaging.

• BMS Lifesciences: The pharmaceutical and wellness firm came under regulatory scrutiny for circulating unsubstantiated health and therapeutic claims regarding its "HAOG Cranberry Urinary Tract Health Capsules."

• Tightening Fast-Commerce Scrutiny: The multi-brand enforcement drive highlights how food authorities are aggressively policing dark store inventory management and deceptive claims across e-commerce marketplaces to ensure consumer safety and product integrity.