The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is looking to formulate a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for online deliveries of food products through quick commerce and e-commerce platforms to ensure compliance with food safety standards in the entire supply chain. Sources said that the SOP is likely to define parameters for packaging, handling of food products during storage at warehouses, logistics and transportation as well as hygiene practices for food delivery personnel.

In the recently held Central Advisory Committee meeting, FSSAI has also asked food safety commissioners of states and Union Territories to step up surveillance of warehouses and other facilities used by e-commerce platforms. The food safety regulator is also scheduled to meet with quick commerce platforms this week to flag concerns around food safety violations.

Standards for food quality and safety

Sources said that the food regulator wants to ensure that standards for food quality and safety are adhered not only at the Food Business Operators’ end but also in terms of the packaging in which the food is delivered to consumers. A senior official said that food delivery personnel must also adopt hygienic practices while making deliveries. Certain safety and hygiene parameters should also be followed in the manner in which the food products are handled during transportation from warehouses to consumers especially in different kinds of weather conditions, the official stated.

Sources said that the food safety regulator will consult with various stakeholders of the supply chain to develop a SOP which will then be evaluated by experts before finalisation.

Recently, there have been concerns raised by certain quarters on the quality and food safety violations by quick commerce and e-commerce players. Some have flagged issues such as sale of near expiry products or failure to display best before date and expiry date on the packaging of food products sold through quick commerce platforms. Concerns have also been raised regarding quick commerce platforms not maintaining minimum shelf life of food products.

FMCG traders body, the All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) had recently alleged that quick commerce and e-commerce platforms are increasingly becoming “ dumping grounds for near-expiry and non-movable stocks”. This practice, often disguised through hefty discounts, compromises consumer rights and destabilizes the traditional retail market, it had said in a statement earlier. 

Related Topics