India
oi-Swastika Sruti
In one of the major developments in food safety monitoring, the FSSAI has issued nine notices to Swiggy Instamart after consumer complaints alleged violations of food safety law. This adds it to the growing list of complaints facing regulatory scrutiny over labels, claim and compliance practices.
FSSAI issued nine notices to Swiggy Instamart for alleged food safety law violations, separate from a resolved licensing issue concerning its Toing platform, amid broader scrutiny of food claims and labelling practices.
According to the ANI, on Saturday, the notice came at the time when the food safety monitoring stepped up enforcement across packaged foods, beverages, gifting products and alcohol categories. Well it must be noted that the action against Swiggy Instamart is separate from a recent prohibition order linked to Swiggy’s food ordering and delivery platform Toing, which the company said involved licence particulars and not food safety concerns.
FSSAI notices to Swiggy Instamart
However the exact reason of each complaint has not been publicly revealed, but the notices were issued under the Food Safety And Standard Act, 2006, the central law governing food safety, related compliance in India.
As the generation is moving towards relying on quick commerce platform, the notices from FSSAI is a big development. As the fact that these platforms do not manufacture most items they sell , and are a part of retail and distribution chain and can face scrutiny over storage, labelling visibility and other obligations.
FSSAI’s action also underlines wider regulatory food business as the food purchases move from store to apps, regulators are monitoring if the customer receives accurate labeling, quality of food and also that if the sellers and platforms meet licensing requirements under food safety law.
Swiggy’s separate Toing licence issue resolved, company says
One day prior to the Instamart notices, Swiggy had made disclosures to the stock exchanges informing that it had received a prohibitory order dated July 6, 2026 from FSSAI in respect of Toing, its food ordering and delivery platform. “This is to inform that Swiggy Limited had received a Prohibition Order dated July 6, 2026, from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India in relation to the Company’s food ordering and delivery platform/application Toing,” the company said in its regulatory filing.
As per the company, the prohibition order had been issued by the Designated Officer of FSSAI in Karnataka who sought explanations in regard to the Toing platform and certain particulars relating to the FSSAI license. The company stated that the observation made by FSSAI was administrative in nature and not pertaining to any issue of food safety.
However, according to the company, the issue got resolved once it obtained an updated FSSAI license dated July 9, 2026. It stated that no monetary penalty had been imposed in respect of the above matter and the same was not likely to have any material impact on its business/financial results/position.
Why FSSAI is tightening scrutiny on food claims
Earlier this week, FSSAI issued notices to alcoholic beverage manufacturers over the alleged unauthorised use of added flavours, which was misleading age related claims and failures to follow disclosure requirements under the food safety and standards regulations, 2018. Such rules hold a standard for alcoholic drinks and require proper disclosures.
Not just this, but the regulators have served notices to Lotte India, Ferns N Petals and Kubera Foods over misleading claims and labelling violations. According to the notice the companies were asked to answer within seven days why actions should not be taken under the specific regulation.
Few of the claims flagged were – “100 per cent vegetarian”, “100 per cent natural”, “premium chocolate”, “fresh” and “no preservatives”. FSSAI also pointed to alleged issues such as incorrect nutritional declarations, inadequate ingredient disclosures and use of labels that did not comply with prescribed standards.
With this the regulators have also issued notice to several beverage companies for allegedly misbranding products as ‘energy drinks’.
Heritage Foods was also served notice over claims related to its ‘Fresh paneer’ labelling. FSSAI has said its recent actions are based on consumer complaints as well as suo motu cognisance.
What the law expects from food businesses
It is not a new practice or a right for the customers to get what is labeled on the package. The licensing, hygiene standards, packaging, labelling and advertising must be followed accordingly.
Labels are expected to provide accurate information about ingredients, nutritional values, allergens, vegetarian or non-vegetarian status, additives and other mandatory disclosures where applicable.
Advertising and product claims are also regulated. Companies cannot use claims that mislead consumers about the nature, quality, composition or benefits of a product. Words such as “natural”, “fresh” or “preservative-free” can attract scrutiny if the product does not meet the regulatory conditions or if the claim creates a misleading impression. A marketplace or quick-commerce app may list products from multiple brands and sellers, but consumers still rely on the platform interface for product information. If product details are incomplete, outdated or inconsistent with the physical label, regulators may seek explanations from businesses involved in the supply chain.
