Cockroaches, expired food: What FDA found at Mumbai’s Blinkit outlet

Inspection found cockroaches on stored fruits and vegetables, expired food stock and an “extremely unclean” facility; store barred from food business until further orders.

2 min readMumbaiUpdated: Aug 11, 2026 01:10 PM IST

FDA suspends Blinkit Malad store’s food licence over cockroaches, hygiene lapses

Officials described the premises as “extremely unclean” and found cockroaches on stored vegetables and fruits, raising concerns over possible contamination. (Representational image/File)

The Maharashtra food safety regulator has suspended the food licence of Blink Commerce Private Limited, the entity operating quick-commerce platform BlinkIt, for its Malad West dark store.

The licence was suspended after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found heavy cockroach infestation, expired food stock and multiple hygiene violations during an inspection. The food safety agency also raided the Reliance store in Buldhana district after a complaint mentioned live insects in kaju katli.

The food agency regulator’s action against the BlinkIt store is limited to the inspected facility and does not constitute a suspension of BlinkIt’s overall food operations.

The FDA inspection was conducted on August 7 at the company’s facility on Ramchandra Lane, Malad West. Officials described the premises as “extremely unclean” and found cockroaches on stored vegetables and fruits, raising concerns over possible contamination.

The FDA suspended the facility’s food licence with immediate effect until further orders. The order bars the company from selling or distributing food or conducting any food business from those premises during the suspension period.