FMCG Distributors Federation Seeks FSSAI Food Safety Standards for Quick-Commerce Dark Stores

The All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) has urged the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to establish a nationwide regulatory framework for quick-commerce dark stores. The demand follows a recent Maharashtra FDA crackdown that covered 86 online food storage and delivery establishments and led to the suspension of 14 food-business licences linked to major quick-commerce players, including Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart.

According to AICPDF, the enforcement action followed inspections that allegedly revealed deficiencies in food storage, temperature control, cleanliness, pest control, worker hygiene, and food handling. Reports also noted that expired food was allegedly found at a Zepto outlet in Pune, with hygiene incidents further reported in Kalyan, Mumbai, Pune, and Dharavi.

In response to these findings, the federation has asked the FSSAI and the Union Health Ministry to scientifically determine dark-store storage capacities based on product volume and types, moving away from capacity limits driven primarily by commercial considerations. AICPDF has proposed an SKU-to-space ratio of 0.35 to 0.40 square feet per SKU as a starting methodology for validation. Under this proposed ratio, a dark store managing approximately 65,000 SKUs would require roughly 23,000 to 26,000 square feet, subject to necessary adjustments for refrigeration, distinct product categories, storage conditions, and movement requirements.

Beyond floor area, the proposed framework calls for adequate aisle and movement space, clear segregation of food categories, dedicated areas for damaged, expired, and recalled products, temperature-controlled storage, pest-control and sanitation systems, capacity declarations, periodic audits, and stronger product traceability.

While AICPDF has not proposed a specific implementation timeline, it has called for nationwide surprise inspections and urged that quick-commerce platforms be held fully accountable for compliance across their entire dark-store networks, including third-party-operated facilities.

The federation emphasized that traditional distributors, stockists, and retailers are already mandated to comply with strict licensing, storage, hygiene, pest control, and traceability requirements. It argued that quick-commerce operators handling identical consumer products must face equivalent standards rather than relying solely on reactive measures triggered by complaints or viral videos.

"Quick commerce may promise delivery in 10 minutes, but food safety cannot operate on a 10-minute business model. Consumers should not have to become food inspectors checking dates, packaging and storage conditions," said AICPDF National President Dhairyashil H. Patil.

Patil added that the federation is not opposed to technology or consumer convenience, but maintains that identical food-safety rules must apply equally to traditional trade and quick-commerce dark stores.

"The rapid scale of quick-commerce has created immense operational pressures across supply chains. When modern delivery models handle essential consumer goods and food products, regulatory compliance must evolve synchronously with technological growth. Establishing transparent, scientific standards for dark-store infrastructure will be vital to protecting consumer health, maintaining market trust, and ensuring a level playing field between traditional retail networks and digital platforms." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes