FSSAI Eyes Tighter Quick Commerce Rules For Expiry Dates, Food Labelling

FSSAI is considering dedicated rules for ecommerce platforms, quick-commerce services, and cloud kitchens. The goal is to make online food sales more transparent and strengthen safety checks. Platforms could become responsible not only for displaying product information but also for misleading claims made by manufacturers. Cloud kitchens may have to disclose photographs and addresses.

For example, a quick-commerce listing could be required to show a packaged food’s manufacturing date, expiry date, and batch number before checkout. FSSAI is also considering checks on dark-store storage, including how frozen products are handled. These measures would give consumers more information and connect online listings with physical storage conditions.

The regulator has consulted ecommerce and quick-commerce companies and begun inspecting dark stores and cloud kitchens. The proposals follow scrutiny of Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart. FSSAI says compliance is improving, but not quickly enough, so the rules could increase platform duties and enforcement.

The proposed rules would require online food listings to display the product’s manufacturing date, expiry date, and batch number before a customer places an order. These details identify when a product was made, when its stated validity ends, and which production batch it belongs to. The change targets a major information gap in online shopping.

Many platforms currently mention shelf life rather than the exact expiry date or batch number. A listing might therefore tell shoppers that a product lasts for several months without showing the date printed on the item. Under the proposal, customers could review those specific details before payment, rather than discovering them at delivery.

The requirement is part of FSSAI’s wider food-safety and labelling crackdown. It is being considered amid scrutiny of Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart. If adopted, the rule would make product disclosures more consistent and could make platforms more accountable for what their listings communicate.

Dark stores are local warehouses used to hold and quickly dispatch products ordered online. Cloud kitchens are delivery-focused food operations that prepare meals for online customers, usually without a traditional dining room. Both sit behind the customer’s digital order, so their physical practices can be less visible than those of ordinary shops or restaurants.

Storage temperature, cleanliness, stock rotation, and frozen-food handling can affect food safety and product condition. FSSAI is considering stricter checks on dark-store storage, specifically including frozen products. It is also considering mandatory photographs and addresses for cloud kitchens. Those disclosures could make the businesses easier for consumers and regulators to identify.

FSSAI’s CEO said the regulator has started inspecting dark stores and cloud kitchens after consultations with ecommerce and quick-commerce companies. The proposed rules would connect online information with real operating conditions. That could bring greater scrutiny to how food is stored, prepared, represented, and delivered through fast-commerce networks.

FSSAI’s enforcement campaign has expanded sharply across online food sales and packaged-food labelling. Rajit Punhani said prosecutions involving ecommerce companies rose at least five- to sixfold over the past year. He also said platforms were improving compliance, but not at the pace the regulator expected.

The regulator has issued notices to more than 150 food and beverage makers. The named companies include Nestle, PepsiCo, Dabur, ITC, Ferrero, Danone, Red Bull, and Abbott. The notices concern allegedly incorrect or misleading ingredient claims and other labelling violations. FSSAI is also reviewing online supplements and nutraceuticals approved three to five years ago.

The scale shows that enforcement is not limited to one type of business. FSSAI is consulting platforms, inspecting dark stores and cloud kitchens, pursuing front-of-pack warnings, and reviewing old product approvals. It plans notices and licence suspensions where online supplement claims exceed approved claims, while court challenges continue.

Stricter rules could give consumers clearer information before they buy food online. Manufacturing dates, expiry dates, and batch numbers would help shoppers assess products more precisely than a general shelf-life statement. Cloud-kitchen addresses and photographs could also make food operations more visible. Better storage checks could address risks involving frozen products.

Online platforms may have to verify more information and answer for misleading manufacturer claims. Dark stores could face inspections focused on storage conditions. Food manufacturers may receive notices or face prosecutions over incorrect ingredient claims and other labelling violations. Companies selling supplements or nutraceuticals could face notices and suspended licences if their claims go beyond approved uses.

The article does not state that every proposed measure has been adopted. It reports consultations, inspections, rising prosecutions, and ongoing legal challenges. If the proposals become rules, compliance work and accountability would increase. If violations continue, FSSAI’s broader enforcement campaign suggests further notices, prosecutions, and licence action.

FSSAI is India’s food-safety regulator in this account. It is developing or enforcing requirements for product labels, online listings, storage, cloud kitchens, supplements, and nutraceuticals. Its work includes consultations, inspections, notices, prosecutions, licence action, and a proposal for front-of-pack warning labels showing sugar, salt, and saturated fat.

Some companies challenged FSSAI notices in court. PepsiCo, Reliance Consumer Products, and Monster Beverage recently obtained procedural relief. The court found they had not been given adequate opportunity to respond or present their cases to the regulator. The challenge therefore concerns the process used for the notices, rather than only the underlying labelling issues.

FSSAI CEO Rajit Punhani expressed confidence in the regulator’s position. The companies are resisting, but the regulator said it has consumer support. The court outcome does not erase the wider scrutiny. FSSAI continues reviewing claims, inspecting operations, and considering stronger rules for online food businesses.

An expiry date marks the end of the period stated for a product’s safe use under required conditions. A use-by date serves a similar safety-focused purpose, especially for foods that can become unsafe after a set time. A best-before date mainly indicates when the product is expected to retain its intended quality, such as taste or texture. The exact wording and legal treatment can vary by product and jurisdiction.

For example, an online listing showing only “six months’ shelf life” does not tell a shopper whether the item expires next week or much later. A precise date makes that judgment easier. A batch number can help identify the specific production run if a problem or recall arises. Storage information matters too, especially for frozen products.

The article focuses on requiring manufacturing dates, expiry dates, and batch numbers online. It does not describe FSSAI’s proposed treatment of best-before and use-by dates in detail. Clear labels improve decisions, but consumers still need products to be stored and handled properly.