Bengaluru : Karnataka’s Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FDA) has suspended the food licences of Amazon, Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket until further orders after a departmental probe found poisonous Datura (Dhatura) fruits and seeds being sold on the platforms for human consumption. The investigation also found that some packets carried FSSAI licence or registration numbers, prompting the authorities to take action against the e-commerce platforms.
The department has additionally ordered the suspension of licences and registrations of vendors and establishments supplying Datura products to the online platforms. The e-commerce platforms and other concerned establishments have been asked to submit compliance reports immediately, following which a separate order regarding the lifting of the suspension will be issued after considering the matter.
All the three e-commerce platforms appeared before a court for a hearing in the matter. While Amazon did not submit a response, Swiggy Instamart did not provide any documents regarding the action taken in the listing and sale of Datura and sought additional time for the same. BigBasket, meanwhile, informed the FDA that the sale of Datura fruits and seeds had been stopped and said that the method of sale would be rectified, with future listings carrying the label ‘not for human consumption’.
While Amazon did not respond to the earlier notice, Swiggy Instamart asked for more time to submit documentation on the steps it had taken. BigBasket told the authority it had already halted Datura sales, changed its selling process, and would update product labels to clearly read “Not for human consumption.”In its order, the regulatory body said it was not satisfied with the responses, given the toxic nature of Datura seeds and fruits, which could potentially pose a threat to customers’ lives.
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