Delhi Food Safety Crackdown: Pests, Expired Goods Uncovered

Ahead of the festival season, Delhi's Food Safety Department conducted inspections, revealing alarming findings at quick-commerce and retail company facilities across the city. Expired frozen green peas, yogurts, brownies, and cow ghee were discovered at Swiggy Instamart's Uttam Nagar premises. Some produce lacked expiry dates. Reliance Retail's Wazirpur facility was found to have flies, mosquitoes, and a lizard. Unhygienic conditions and expired products were also noted at Zomato Hyperpure's Ghevra location, while Zepto Limited in Jheel Khureja failed to maintain cold-storage temperatures, with cockroaches and spider webs observed.

Furthermore, the department tested 59 samples of desi ghee sold in Delhi markets. A significant 19 brands were declared unsafe for human consumption, including Haryana Lite and Shree Haryana Foods. Four additional brands, such as Nova and Govardhan Pure Cow Ghee, were classified as substandard. In response, establishments selling unsafe ghee have been ordered to shut down, and their licenses suspended. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta stated that compromising food quality or public health is unacceptable and directed stricter market monitoring and enforcement of food safety standards.