FSSAI takes action against two food businesses
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) announced on Sunday that it has suspended the licence of Marche Retail Private Limited in New Delhi and issued a prohibition order against SDP Industries Private Limited in Daman, following inspections that uncovered serious food safety violations.
In a post on X, the food regulator said the actions were taken after investigations into both companies revealed non-compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Marche Retail licence suspended for 30 days
FSSAI suspended the licence of Marche Retail, which runs Le Marche Retail, for 30 days with immediate effect. The regulator said the establishment was found operating with deficiencies relating to design, operational controls, sanitation, personal hygiene, food-handler training and mandatory record-keeping.
Mandatory medical records of food handlers were not available, and prescribed food safety and hygiene documentation was not adequately maintained, according to the FSSAI. During a follow-up inspection, the unit achieved an overall compliance score of 37 per cent, placing it in the non-compliance category.
"The FBO (food business operator) has been directed to immediately cease and desist from all food business activities until the identified deficiencies are rectified and compliance is verified by competent authority," the FSSAI said.
The licence suspension was reported by multiple outlets, citing the same FSSAI statement.
Prohibition order on SDP Industries over ghee
Separately, FSSAI issued a prohibition order against SDP Industries, located in Ringanwada, Daman, over non-compliant ghee products and adulteration concerns. The regulator said multiple ghee products marketed under brands including "Shraddha", "Shree Saras" and "Gokul" were found non-compliant with requirements under the FSS Act, 2006 and its regulations.
Laboratory analysis of the ghee samples detected A-sitosterol (also reported as beta-sitosterol), a plant sterol that is required to be absent in ghee, along with non-conformity in the fatty-acid composition. The findings were indicative of the presence of foreign or vegetable fats, raising serious food safety concerns, according to the FSSAI.
The regulator said the non-compliance was repeated and continuing across multiple samples, periods and product variants, and could not be reasonably confined to a particular batch or product. This detail was highlighted in reports from Business Standard and Lokmat Times, the latter also noting that SDP Industries had exercised its statutory right to appeal the initial laboratory findings and that re-analysis by the Referral Food Laboratory confirmed the non-conformity.
FSSAI directed SDP Industries to immediately stop selling all variants of ghee manufactured, stored or sold from its authorised premises and to ensure that the prohibited products are not placed in the market or sold to consumers until further orders.
Broader context of food safety scrutiny
Hindustan Times noted that regulators have recently uncovered food safety lapses across various outlets, including a rat found in a Blinkit freezer and a foul smell reported in KFC chicken, along with inspections of companies such as Dabur, Old Monk, Zepto and others. These mentions were part of a wider commentary on the regulator's crackdown but were not central to the FSSAI announcement about Marche Retail and SDP Industries.