Rat Found in Ice Cream Freezer at Blinkit Store in Kalyan's Godrej Hill

A rat was allegedly discovered inside an ice cream freezer at a Blinkit outlet located in the Godrej Hill area of Kalyan, Thane district. The incident came to light after a group of customers recorded the rodent near packaged food items inside the store.

The group of youngsters had visited the quick-commerce outlet to buy ice cream when they spotted the rat inside the commercial freezer. They captured video footage of the animal moving near the stored food products, raising immediate hygiene and food safety concerns among residents in the area.

Following the discovery, local residents called on the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take strict action against the facility. As of now, neither the local outlet nor the parent brand has issued a public statement regarding the incident.

The development comes during an ongoing statewide enforcement and inspection drive conducted by the Maharashtra FDA. The regulatory agency has been scrutinising online food storage facilities, dark stores, and delivery services across the region to ensure compliance with hygiene standards.

During its recent inspection drive across Maharashtra, the FDA inspected 86 online delivery establishments, uncovering multiple food safety violations and sanitary lapses across quick-commerce platforms including Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart. The regulator has suspended 14 commercial licences as a result of those findings.

Under FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, food safety officials have stepped up surprise checks and raids on food storage units, ordering several non-compliant establishments to shut down or suspend operations until hygiene standards are met.