BENGALURU: The Food Safety and Drug Administration Department on Tuesday sealed a Zepto warehouse operated by Nippon Express in Hoskote taluk of Bengaluru Rural district after officials found alleged violations including non-compliant labelling, misbranding and unhygienic food handling and storage conditions.The action was taken during a special inspection drive conducted on August 11 under the guidance of Karnataka health and family welfare minister UT Khader, the department said in a statement.The food safety division inspected the Zepto warehouse (Nippon Express) unit to check the quality, safety, storage, labelling and handling of food products under provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and related regulations.Officials said they found various food safety violations and, in view of the unhygienic handling and storage conditions, sealed the warehouse under applicable FSSAI provisions.A notice was issued to the concerned warehouse, while the department recommended that a case be filed before the competent Adjudicating Officer for further legal action.The department said strict action would be taken against food business operators found violating food safety regulations and that such special inspection drives would continue to ensure access to safe and hygienic food.Separately, an Rs 25,000 penalty was imposed on Zepto in Thanisandra for allegedly failing to maintain cleanliness at the location.Bengaluru food safety crackdown widensThe action against Zepto comes amid an intensified food safety enforcement drive across Bengaluru following complaints about food quality, hygiene and unsafe practices.The Food Safety Wing recently deployed 30 teams to inspect 26 three-star and five-star hotels, collecting 35 food samples for laboratory testing. Officials reported violations including expired food products, improper labelling, unhygienic storage, fungal growth on vegetables and inadequate segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.During Sunday’s inspections, more than 100 kg of food articles and 15 litres of used cooking oil were seized or discarded from six hotels.At one establishment, officials found 45 kg of rotten chicken and beef and 6 kg of vegetable cutlets, while another had 50 kg of duck and 5 kg of fish. Expired milk and curd packets and rotten meat with fungal growth were also found.The latest action indicates that the food safety drive is now extending beyond hotels and restaurants to large-scale food storage and quick-commerce facilities.The department said it would continue special inspections across the state and take legal action against food businesses found violating prescribed safety standards.
