Quick Commerce Food Safety: 6 Things to Check Before You Accept That 10-Minute Order

The milk, bread and paneer you ordered in 10 minutes came from a dark store you will never see. On 30 September, food safety teams in Hyderabad checked 16 such stores and suspended the licences of four after finding cockroaches, mould and expired stock, ANI reported.

Now FSSAI wants Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart and Amazon Now to be more accountable. Until those rules arrive, quick commerce food safety is partly in your hands. Here is what to check every time an order lands at your door:

• Expiry or use-by date: check it on the pack before the delivery partner leaves.
• Shelf life left: FSSAI has asked online sellers to deliver food with at least 30% of its shelf life, or 45 days, still left.
• Seal and pack: no torn pouches, leaks, swollen cans or broken seals.
• Cold items: ice cream and frozen food should be hard, and milk and curd should feel cold.
• Fresh produce: no mould, slime or a sour smell.
• Claims: give big health promises on supplements a second look.

What is FSSAI planning for Blinkit, Instamart and other quick commerce apps?

In an interview with Bloomberg, carried by Business Standard on 13 October 2026, FSSAI CEO Rajit Punhani said e-commerce is the regulator's next big focus. "We are trying to tighten and make them accountable," he said.

These are plans, not final rules yet. According to the same report, FSSAI is looking at:

• Making online listings show the manufacturing date, expiry date and batch number of food products.
• Holding platforms responsible for misleading claims made by manufacturers.
• Requiring photos and addresses of dark kitchens.
• Stricter checks on how dark stores store food, including frozen items.

The pressure is already building. Prosecutions involving e-commerce companies have gone up at least five to six times over the past year, and regulators carried out about 7 lakh inspections between April and September, almost double the year before, Punhani said, as reported by Business Standard.

Why can't you see the expiry date before you order online?

This surprises most people. Under FSSAI's labelling rules, when food is sold through e-commerce, the app or website has to show you the mandatory label details before you buy, but with one big exception. Batch number, best before, use-by or expiry date, and date of manufacture or packing do not have to be shown, according to FSSAI's compendium of the Labelling and Display Regulations.

That is exactly the gap FSSAI's new plan would close. Until it does, the product page can tell you the ingredients and the price, but only the pack in your hand can tell you how fresh it is. So the real check happens at the door, not on the screen.

It also helps to know what the dates mean. FSSAI defines "best before" as the date until which food stays at its best quality. After it, the food may still be safe, though the quality may drop. "Use by" or "expiry" is stricter. After that date the product may not be safe, and it must not be sold, as per the same FSSAI document. If a product arrives past its use-by date, don't eat it. Send it back.

What does FSSAI say about shelf life for online delivery?

In November 2024, FSSAI asked e-commerce food businesses to adopt practices that ensure a minimum shelf life of 30% or 45 days before expiry at the time of delivery, All India Radio reported. FSSAI also said no food business can operate on an e-commerce platform without a valid FSSAI licence or registration.

In plain terms: a packet of biscuits, a jar of jam or a bottle of oil should not reach you a week before it expires. If it does, raise it with the app. FSSAI has asked sellers to avoid exactly this.

Use some common sense with short-life items. Milk, bread, curd and paneer only last a few days to begin with. For these, just make sure the use-by date gives you enough time to actually finish them.

Quick commerce food safety checklist: what should you check at the door?

A problem is easiest to prove right after delivery, so a 30-second check at the door saves a lot of arguing later. Keep this list handy, especially in the Diwali weeks when gift boxes, dry fruits and sweets are flying out of dark stores.

What's in the bag	Your quick check	Send it back if
1. Packaged food (biscuits, atta, oil, namkeen)	Turn it over and read the use-by or expiry date	It has expired, or a long-life pack has only days left
2. Pouches and cartons (milk, juice, sauces)	Press gently and look at the seal	It is torn, puffed up, sticky or leaking
3. Frozen food and ice cream (frozen peas, parathas, tubs)	Squeeze the pack	It feels soft, or has refrozen into an odd shape
4. Dairy (milk, curd, paneer)	Feel the cold, check the date, smell it	The pack is warm, the pouch is swollen, or it smells sour
5. Fruit and vegetables (tomatoes, leafy greens, bananas)	Look closely and touch	You see mould, slime or rotten patches
6. Supplements and "health" foods (powders, gummies, protein bars)	Read the claims on the pack	It makes big health promises

Why the cold check matters: improper cold room temperature was one of the problems inspectors flagged in the Hyderabad dark stores, along with expired items, fungal growth on vegetables and food kept with non-food items, ANI reported. A 10-minute delivery cannot fix food that was stored badly before it left the shelf.

On claims, be extra careful with supplements sold online. Punhani said weight-loss claims aren't permitted, and FSSAI is reviewing their old approvals, as per Business Standard. FSSAI is also rethinking what goes on the front of food packs, covered in our post on FSSAI's red warning labels proposal.

The same habits apply to restaurant deliveries. Our report on Mumbai's FDA food safety bust shows what inspectors find in kitchens. And for loose festive staples like ghee and atta, see our guide to food adulteration tests at home.

How do you complain about an expired product from Blinkit or Instamart?

Do it in this order, and do it fast:

1. Take photos of the date on the pack, the damage, and the order screen. Don't throw the item away yet.
2. Raise it in the app through the help or support section for that order. The platform sold it to you, so start there for a refund or replacement.
3. Report it to FSSAI if it is a food safety issue, like expired, spoiled or mislabelled food. FSSAI's Food Safety Connect app lets you lodge complaints about food safety and misleading claims, and sends them to the local food safety authority, according to an FSSAI press release.
4. Go to the National Consumer Helpline if the refund or response doesn't come. Call 1915, or WhatsApp or SMS 8800001915, as listed on the government's consumer helpline site.

One complaint may feel small. But regulators have stepped up action partly based on consumer complaints, Business Standard reported. Every photo you send adds to the record.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do if Blinkit or Instamart delivers an expired product?

Don't eat it. Photograph the date and the order screen, raise a complaint in the app for that order, and if it is not resolved, report it on FSSAI's Food Safety Connect app or the National Consumer Helpline (1915).

How much shelf life should an online food product have at delivery?

FSSAI has asked e-commerce food businesses to ensure a minimum shelf life of 30% or 45 days before expiry at the time of delivery.

Is it safe to eat food after the best before date?

FSSAI says food may still be safe after its best before date, though its quality may have dropped, as long as it has been stored properly. The use-by or expiry date is different. Don't eat food past that date.

Do quick commerce apps have to show the expiry date before I buy?

Not under the current labelling rules, which exempt expiry, best before, manufacturing date and batch number for online listings. FSSAI is now planning to make these details mandatory.

Planning your festive grocery order? Amaayu's functional waters are on the products page.