Bengaluru: The Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) has intensified its crackdown on food-safety violations in Bengaluru, with inspections of dark stores uncovering expired and unsafe food products estimated to be worth ₹1.43 crore.

The latest action comes as authorities expand inspections beyond restaurants and hotels to include quick-commerce dark stores, warehouses and other food distribution facilities. The move has put the spotlight on the food storage practices followed by businesses that promise deliveries to consumers within minutes.

The inspections are aimed at checking expiry dates, storage conditions, hygiene, labelling and other food-safety requirements before products reach consumers.

Dark stores come under FDA scrutiny

Dark stores are fulfilment centres used by quick-commerce companies to store groceries and other products before they are delivered to customers. Unlike conventional retail outlets, these facilities generally do not operate as walk-in stores, but they handle large quantities of food products.

The latest inspections indicate that the FDA is increasingly treating such facilities as an important part of the food supply chain.

Officials have been checking whether food products are stored under appropriate conditions and whether expired or damaged products are removed from sale. The inspections also focus on hygiene, pest control, labelling and the handling of perishable items.

The seizure of food products worth ₹1.43 crore highlights the scale of the issue and raises questions about how expired stock is identified and removed from large inventories.

Food safety crackdown expands across Bengaluru

The action against dark stores is part of a wider food-safety drive in Bengaluru. In August, FDA teams inspected several major hotels and food storage and distribution centres across the city.

Thirty special teams inspected food storage facilities supplying hotels and caterers. At Coldman Logistics and Radhakrishna Foodland, officials found nearly 70 kg of soy sauce and other sauces nearing expiry. Around 10 litres of beverages were also seized and destroyed, while meat and other food samples were collected for laboratory testing.

The department has said legal action would be initiated against food business operators found violating safety and quality requirements under the Food Safety and Standards Act and Rules.

The inspections have also covered cold-chain systems and storage practices, which are particularly important for meat, dairy products and other perishable food.

Quick-commerce sector faces growing scrutiny

The latest inspections come amid growing concerns about food safety at quick-commerce dark stores across India.

The All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) has called for minimum storage-space requirements for dark stores based on the number of products they handle. The organisation said some dark stores may stock 60,000 to 70,000 stock-keeping units in congested premises, potentially creating problems related to ventilation, stacking, cleaning and pest control.

The federation has also sought stronger rules covering quick-commerce dark stores, including surprise inspections, temperature and humidity monitoring, digital inventory records and annual audits.

The concern is particularly significant because quick-commerce facilities can handle a very large range of products in relatively compact spaces. Maintaining accurate inventory records and ensuring that expired products are immediately removed becomes crucial when thousands of items are stored and dispatched every day.

Earlier action against Bengaluru warehouse

Karnataka authorities have already taken action against a quick-commerce warehouse near Bengaluru.

A Zepto warehouse in Hoskote was sealed following an inspection that reportedly found concerns involving food handling and storage, along with labelling and misbranding violations. The facility was operated by logistics company Nippon Express, according to reports.

The action demonstrated that the food-safety regulator’s scrutiny is extending to the infrastructure behind online grocery delivery rather than being limited to traditional shops and restaurants.

The developments have increased attention on the responsibility of quick-commerce companies and their logistics partners to ensure that food products remain safe throughout the storage and delivery chain.

Bengaluru hotels and restaurants also inspected

The FDA’s food-safety drive has already uncovered several violations at prominent hotels and restaurants in Bengaluru.

In inspections of 26 three-star and five-star hotels, officials found expired food, rotten meat, vegetables affected by fungal growth and unhygienic storage conditions. Notices were issued to establishments where violations were detected, while 35 food samples were collected for laboratory analysis.

Officials also shut the kitchen of Skyye Lounge at UB City after finding rotten meat and other food-safety violations.

The inspections demonstrate that the department’s current campaign covers multiple points in the food chain, from restaurants and hotels to storage centres and quick-commerce facilities.

Why expiry checks are important

Expired food products can pose health risks, particularly when they are perishable or have been stored under unsuitable conditions. Products such as dairy, meat, sauces and ready-to-eat food require careful monitoring of their shelf life and storage temperatures.

For online grocery platforms, consumers may have limited visibility into where and how food products were stored before delivery. This makes proper inventory management and regulatory oversight particularly important.

Food businesses are expected to ensure that expired products are not sold or distributed. Recent inspections of Bengaluru establishments have repeatedly found products beyond their use-by periods, reinforcing the need for stronger checks across the supply chain.

FDA action puts focus on consumer safety

The seizure of expired goods worth ₹1.43 crore from dark stores is likely to intensify scrutiny of the rapidly expanding quick-commerce sector in Bengaluru.

While fast delivery has become an important part of urban shopping, food safety remains a fundamental requirement. Regulatory inspections can help identify weak points in storage, inventory management and distribution before unsafe products reach consumers.

The latest action also highlights the importance of maintaining proper separation between food and non-food products, controlling temperatures for perishables, preventing pest infestations and ensuring that expired stock is promptly removed.

As Karnataka’s food-safety authorities continue their inspections, dark-store operators, warehouses, restaurants and other food businesses are likely to face greater pressure to demonstrate compliance.

For consumers, the crackdown serves as a reminder that convenience and delivery speed should not come at the cost of food safety.