Telangana's food safety wing, TG SAFE, has suspended FSSAI licences of multiple dark stores linked to quick-commerce platforms in Hyderabad and directed them to stop operations immediately, after a special inspection drive found expired and spoiled food, pest infestation and unhygienic conditions.
TG SAFE said it deployed 10 enforcement teams of Food Safety Officers and police personnel to inspect 16 dark stores across the Core Urban Region (CURE).
The stores inspected were linked to Swiggy Instamart, Flipkart, Zepto and Dropx Logistics.
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Fast delivery. Food safety first.
— TG SAFE (@c_tgsafe) September 30, 2026
TG SAFE deployed 10 enforcement teams comprising Food Safety Officers and police personnel to inspect 16 dark stores across the Core Urban Region (CURE).
Inspections identified violations in some establishments, including expired and damaged… pic.twitter.com/thbLz4UEO6
Dark stores are small fulfilment warehouses from which quick-commerce platforms dispatch orders.
The violations flagged in some establishments included expired and damaged food, pest-infested articles, spoiled vegetables with fungal infestation, unhygienic premises, improper food storage, cold-room temperature lapses and labelling violations.
Photographs released by the regulator show mouldy cheese packs, a caterpillar in cauliflower and frost-covered, damaged packaged goods in a storage unit.
Officials collected 15 samples on suspicion of adulteration. Improvement notices will be issued to three establishments, with compliance to be rechecked, and show-cause notices will go to five, with further action for penalties to follow.
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Among the establishments named for suspension are Swiggy Instamart stores in Petbasheerabad and Saidabad, Flipkart outlets at Chowk Mohammed Khan, Pathar Gatti and Charminar, and a Zepto store in Ram Koti, Hyderabad.
TG SAFE said the suspensions apply only to the specified stores. Dropx Logistics does not appear among the suspended establishments.
The regulator also issued advice for consumers, urging them to check expiry dates, packaging and the condition of food on delivery, and to avoid eating anything that looks spoiled or damaged. It asked customers to keep bills, order details and photographs when reporting concerns, and to complain to the platform and food safety authorities.
The drive comes amid scrutiny of quick-commerce hygiene, as the fast-growing sector relies on dense networks of dark stores that serve households within minutes.
Samples collected from the stores will be tested before any adulteration finding is confirmed, and the penalties will depend on the outcome of the notices.
None of the platforms has publicly responded to the findings so far.
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