“FSSAI Takes On Amazon, Flipkart, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart Over Toxic Datura Seeds and Misleading Labels”, BeatsInBrief, 24 Sep 2026.
“The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India announced penal proceedings on September 23, 2026 against five major e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms, Amazon, Swiggy Instamart, BigBasket, Flipkart India and Zepto, for violations ranging from misleading product claims to the listing of a toxic botanical substance. The action, taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, marks a notable escalation in the regulator’s approach to digital food retail, coming as part of a six-month nationwide enforcement drive targeting online food business operators.
The violations cited fall into three categories. Happilo’s Premium Date Bites in Zesty Orange flavour were flagged across all five platforms for misbranding and misleading promotional claims. Milky Mist’s dairy line, including its Fresh Low Fat Cream, Farm Fresh Curd and Greek Yoghurt, drew scrutiny on Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket for misleading health claims and non-compliant product information. Most seriously, Amazon, Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket were cited for listing and offering Datura, commonly known as dhatura, fruits and seeds, a poisonous plant product prohibited from sale under Indian food law. None of the five companies had issued public statements or denials at the time FSSAI made its announcement.
A Parallel Case Against Nestle Signals a Broader Push
Notably, this action against platforms did not happen in isolation. FSSAI simultaneously pursued three separate adjudication cases against Nestle India over promotional claims on its NAN Excella Pro and Lactogen Pro 1 infant nutrition products, alongside laboratory findings of non-compliant biotin levels in follow-up formula samples. Taken together, the two actions suggest a regulator working both ends of the supply chain at once, targeting manufacturers for what goes into products and platforms for how those products get sold online……..”
Read the full article at BeatsInBrief.
