ETERNAL: BLINKIT FACES FDA SCRUTINY OVER FOOD SAFETY VIOLATIONS

* Maharashtra and Karnataka food safety authorities have intensified inspections of Blinkit’s dark stores/warehouses, amid concerns over hygiene and food-storage practices. In Maharashtra, the FDA has already suspended the food licence of Blinkit’s Malad West facility after an August 7 inspection found severe hygiene lapses, including cockroach infestation around fruits and vegetables, food stored directly on the floor/rusted racks, inadequate pest control and poor cold-storage practices. * The development raises regulatory and operational concerns for $ETERNAL ’s quick-commerce business, particularly as Blinkit continues to rapidly expand its dark-store network. Authorities also flagged expired/damaged or tampered packaged food, inadequate FIFO/FEFO compliance and gaps in food-handler health records/protective equipment. While the immediate impact is likely limited to affected facilities, repeated regulatory action could increase compliance costs, disrupt operations at individual dark stores and create reputational risks around food quality and consumer trust.