FSSAI Begins Penal Action Against Major E-Commerce Platforms

The FSSAI has begun penal action against major e-commerce platforms over alleged food-safety non-compliances.

What violations has FSSAI flagged?

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has initiated action against e-commerce platforms including Swiggy Instamart, BigBasket, Amazon, Flipkart India and Zepto for regulatory non-compliances.

The regulator said the violations included misbranding and misleading claims, along with the sale and display of prohibited or poisonous food articles. FSSAI described the enforcement exercise as a major crackdown on e-commerce platforms over regulatory breaches.

The action comes as the food regulator steps up enforcement against food business operators and online commerce companies. The focus on digital platforms places greater scrutiny on how food products are described, displayed and offered to consumers through online marketplaces.

The proceedings indicate that e-commerce platforms, alongside conventional food businesses, are being examined for compliance with food safety requirements governing products sold to consumers.

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What is changing in food labelling?

Separately, FSSAI has proposed implementing Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling, or FoPL, in a single phase. The proposal would introduce prominent warning labels on packaged food products containing high levels of salt, sugar or fat.

The proposal was submitted through an affidavit before the Supreme Court, which had sought a clear timeline from the food regulator and the government for rolling out front-of-pack warning labels.

Rather than introducing the labelling system gradually, FSSAI plans to adopt a single-phase approach. The proposed framework is intended to make key nutritional information more visible to consumers when they are selecting packaged food products.

How would the warning labels work?

Under the proposed system, packaged foods exceeding prescribed thresholds for nutrients of concern would have to carry a red hexagon placed on a white square background on the front of the package.

The warning is intended to give consumers clear and easily identifiable nutritional information at the time of purchase. The system is designed to highlight nutrients that could pose health risks when consumed in excess and help consumers make informed food choices.

FSSAI noted that the proposed warning format has similarities with the model adopted in Canada. The regulator’s approach would make nutritional warnings a prominent part of the packaging rather than leaving consumers to rely solely on less visible nutritional information.

What does the wider action mean?

The developments show two parallel areas of regulatory attention: enforcement against alleged non-compliance in online food sales and proposed changes to the way nutritional risks are communicated on packaged products.

For e-commerce platforms, the enforcement action puts practices such as product descriptions, claims and the listing of prohibited items under scrutiny. For packaged-food businesses, the proposed FoPL framework could require prominent warnings where products cross prescribed nutrient thresholds.

For consumers, the proposed labelling system is intended to make information about salt, sugar and fat easier to identify before a purchase is made. The regulator has presented the warning format as a tool for clearer nutritional disclosure rather than a replacement for broader food-safety compliance.

Both developments centre on how food is marketed, displayed and presented to consumers. While penal action has already begun over the cited e-commerce non-compliances, the front-of-pack labelling measure remains a proposal submitted before the Supreme Court.