Noida: Food safety officials in Gautam Budh Nagar have flagged hygiene lapses at several online grocery warehouses and stores ahead of Diwali. Of 18 establishments inspected, 16 were issued improvement notices for deficiencies including inadequate cleanliness and failure to produce mandatory records. A Zepto store in Sector 135, where officials noted poor cleanliness and disorder in the cold room, was ordered to stop operations until corrective measures were completed.Assistant commissioner (food safety) Sarvesh Mishra said the inspections were conducted on the DM’s directions as part of the department’s pre-Diwali food safety campaign.Officials found hygiene and document-related deficiencies at facilities operated by BigBasket and Blinkit in Ecotech 3 and at Zomato’s Hyperpure store that supplies raw materials to restaurants. Checks were also conducted at Swiggy and Zomato hypermart facilities in Dadri, Blinkit stores in Surajpur and Beta 1 in Greater Noida and a Blinkit warehouse in Sector 62, Noida.Other establishments inspected included JioMart in P-1 and KV Enterprises and a Zepto store in P-3, Greater Noida; A&D Network Private Limited in Itahera, Ecotech 4; a Swiggy store operated by PYD. Retail Private Limited in Sector 128; a Zepto dark store in Shahdara; P.J.T.J. Technology Private Limited in Mathurapur; and an Amazon store in Tughlakpur.Among the lapses detected was the failure to maintain or produce essential documents, including workers’ health certificates, pest-control reports and standard operating procedures for removing food products before their expiry dates. The establishments were directed to keep the required records on their premises and produce them when demanded.Officials also collected three food samples — paneer, groundnuts and sesame oil — for laboratory testing. The department said inspections and sample collection would continue ahead of Diwali, warning businesses to follow food safety norms while receiving, storing and supplying products.TOI tried reaching out to Zepto regarding the warehouse closure in Sector 135, but it did not respond.
