FDA Suspends Licences of Two Blinkit Hubs in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suspended the licences of two Blinkit facilities in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, after routine inspections uncovered severe food-safety violations, poor hygiene, cold-chain failures, and missing traceability records.
The regulatory action targeted Blinkit's operational premises located at High Court Colony in the Satara area and another facility at Harsul. D.V. Patil, Assistant Commissioner (Food) and Licensing Authority of the FDA, ordered the immediate suspension of both licences, citing significant risks to public health.
At the High Court Colony facility in Satara, FDA inspectors Varsha Rode and Kirtika Jhade found tobacco products, including cigarette brands such as Wills, Classic, and Marlboro, being stored and sold alongside regular food products, violating regulations prohibiting the sale of tobacco from food retail premises.
Inspectors at the Satara hub also found Salisbury Caramelised Onion & Dill Dip stored on open room-temperature shelves despite requiring refrigeration. Jars of expired Brajratna Cow Ghee were kept alongside regular inventory, while vegetarian and non-vegetarian items were stored on the same shelf in cold storage. In addition, food products were placed directly next to cleaning supplies.
Employees handling food at the site lacked annual medical fitness certificates and were working without aprons, gloves, or head coverings. While purchase bills under entities like Hyperpure, Zomato Hyperpure, and Moonstone Ventures were present, the facility failed to provide documentation proving product traceability or their business relationship with Blinkit.
At Blinkit's Harsul facility, FDA inspector Farid Siddiqui found two toilets opening directly opposite food racks holding onions, potatoes, and flour. Officials also documented tobacco spit stains and unsanitary conditions near the handwashing area.
The Harsul facility was similarly found storing refrigerated dip at room temperature and could not produce historical temperature-monitoring logs for its cold rooms. Inspectors noted broken tiles, damaged stairs, accumulated garbage near unloading zones, and an absence of rodent traps near entry and delivery points.
The suspension order bars Blink Commerce Private Limited and its representatives from purchasing, storing, selling, or fulfilling any orders through the Blinkit platform from both premises until further notice.
