Pune: After Zepto In Mumbai, FDA Cracks Down On Blinkit Dark Store In Baner-Balewadi, Orders Closure

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has shut down a Blinkit dark store in Pune’s Baner-Balewadi area, citing unlicensed operations. The action, taken last week, targeted the quick-commerce facility for allegedly running without mandatory FDA approval required for storing and handling food items.

The facility was run by Energy Darkstore Services, one of Blinkit’s last-mile warehousing partners.

The action was taken following the action in the Dharavi store," said Suresh Annapure, Joint Commissioner, FDA, Pune, to The Free Press Journal. "Companies like Blinkit, Zepto, Big Basket, Instamart and other delivery apps have dark stores at different locations across Pune to deliver the veggies and groceries in just 10 mins. So we are inspecting all the dark stores in the entire Maharashtra. On June 5, in one of such inspection we found that the dark store in Balewadi were operating the facility without lisence and when our officers inspected the store they found that the store owner had applied for the lisence and they were running without permission and without adhering to the guidelines. The facility is run by Energy Darkstore Services, one of Blinkit’s last-mile warehousing and partners."

The FDA’s move is part of a broader statewide crackdown on unsafe food storage and handling practices.

Recently, the FDA cancelled the food business licence of Zepto’s facility in Dharavi after a surprise inspection found multiple serious violations of food safety rules.