India's food safety regulator FSSAI said on Monday it has issued notices to quick commerce platform Zepto and three food business operators — HealthyHey Foods LLP, Bakelite Food Processing Pvt Ltd and BMS Lifescience — over alleged violations relating to food safety, labelling and advertising claims, and has sanctioned adjudication proceedings against Storia Foods & Beverages Pvt Ltd.

In its notice to Zepto Marketplace Pvt Ltd, FSSAI sought an explanation over a complaint alleging delivery of two packets of besan past their stated use-by date; the products were reported to carry a “Use By: 12 September 2026” marking and were allegedly delivered after expiry, and Zepto has been directed to verify the complaint and provide order, delivery, warehouse, seller and product details.

FSSAI said HealthyHey's 'HealthyHey Nutrition Natural Cranberry Extract 25 per cent Capsules' showed discrepancies in colour declarations and carried claims such as 'Supports Urinary Tract Health', which it identified as disease-risk-reduction and health claims requiring prior approval.

Bakelite was flagged over its 'Malpani's Bake-Lite Puneri Cream Roll', sold on platforms including Blinkit and Zepto: the regulator said the ingredients list contains refined wheat flour, hydrogenated vegetable fat, margarine and sugar but no milk, milk fat, cream or other dairy ingredients, so terms such as 'Cream Roll' and 'Creamy' and creamy-filling imagery could mislead consumers.

BMS Lifescience was noticed over 'HAOG'S Cranberry Urinary Tract Health Capsules', which FSSAI said was marketed under an expired registration certificate with claims on urinary tract infections, kidney health and disease prevention requiring prior approval.

For Storia, FSSAI said its pomegranate juice product contained 4 per cent pomegranate juice concentrate and 12 per cent apple juice concentrate, raised concerns over 'Equivalent to 100 per cent Fruit Juice (Reconstituted)' and 'No Added Sugar' labelling, and sanctioned adjudication after the company's explanation was found unsatisfactory following inspection, sampling and label scrutiny. All violations are alleged; the companies are to respond to the regulator.

Sources: IANS, Nation Press, Business Times (BTIN).