Why FSSAI served 9 notices to Swiggy Instamart: Expired whey protein, rotten eggs, spoiled food

4 min readUpdated: Jul 11, 2026 04:25 PM IST

After several complaints by consumers against the quick commerce application Swiggy Instamart, the country’s apex food regulator, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, has served nine notices to the company. The consumer complaints were regarding the supply of expired, spoiled, rotten or contaminated food products. No action was taken by the company even on escalation of complaints by the consumers.

The company was also found to list products on its platform that carried names other than what was mentioned on the FSSAI licence of the food operator.

The food regulator said: “Complainants alleged delivery of contaminated eggs and milk, along with damaged packaged food items through Instamart. Some complainants alleged that no satisfactory response, grievance redressal or corrective action was taken despite the complaints being forwarded or escalated, while one complainant stated that only a refund was offered without addressing the reported food safety concerns.”

According to details provided by the FSSAI, the consumer complaints were about several food items. Consumers complained that ‘Healthify 100% Whey Protein 1kg’ and ‘Noice Homestyle Madras Mixture with Peanuts’ were supplied after their expiry date. ‘Akshayakalpa Organic Eggs’ were not only expired, consumers said they found it to be emitting foul odour and contamination, making them unfit for consumption. In this case, when the consumers escalated their complaint, no corrective action was taken by Swiggy Instamart.

Another product ‘Kakke da Paratha’ was found spoiled and emitting foul odour but the company did not take any action despite the complaint being escalated. Consumers complained that the infant food formula they received was in a highly deteriorated and unsafe condition, showing signs of improper storage and handling. The consumer said that they allegedly re-supplied the defective product after they returned it.

The food regulator also found that the platform marketed ‘Noice Eggs’ under a brand name not covered by the existing FSSAI licence. The regulator has asked the quick commerce company not to market products unless it was covered by a valid licence.

The food regulator, through its notices, raised concerns regarding seller onboarding, compliance verification, traceability, food quality monitoring, consumer grievance redressal, supervision of food business activities and the adequacy of food safety compliance systems.

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FSSAI has asked the company to submit a detailed explanation, supported by documentary evidence, about addressing the non-compliances and the circumstances leading to the incidents. It has sought details of the quality assurance processes the company undertakes and details of root cause analysis and corrective actions to prevent recurrence of such incidents. The company has to furnish a compliance report.

An official said that such actions have been initiated on the basis of complaints filed by consumers. “Most complaints come in with photographic evidence and the companies are sent notices on the same. However, legal action cannot be initiated based on such complaints and requires collection of legal samples by the agencies,” the official said, adding wherever needed such samples are collected by the respective state agencies.

Last year, the food regulator set up an app allowing consumers to directly complain about such food-related issues to it. In addition, the regulator has also been taking cognisance of complaints posted by people online. “In many cases, people might not complain directly on the portal. However, they do put up their grievances online. Wherever there are enough details provided, the FSSAI takes appropriate action.”

In addition, the food regulator has also been uploading details of such action on its social media handles. “While the notices act like a warning for companies to take corrective actions, naming brands online affects their reputation, so companies are more willing to act even before such issues arise,” the official said.

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme.

Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports.

Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan.

She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times.

When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More

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