The national food regulator said it's stepping up scrutiny of ecommerce food companies because there can be no compromise on last-mile delivery and safety of food products.
Food products offered for sale are liable to sampling at any point in the supply chain. Companies will also need to provide an indicative image of the food on their platforms so that consumers can recognise the product. All mandatory information mentioned in the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act will also have to be provided to consumers before purchase and only fresh food should be delivered to consumers.
The guidelines are part of directives issued by the regulator to re-operationalise licensing and registration of ecommerce food companies.
"While we are compliant with all regulatory guidelines such as last-mile delivery and shelf life, we also ensure that our merchant partners follow the same," said online grocery startup Grofers' chief executive Albinder Dhindsa. "We don't work with merchants who don't have the necessary compliance. That is a challenge that the regulator has to enforce."
Food should have a remaining shelf life of 30% or 45 days before expiry at the time of delivery, the guidelines said.
Delivery service company Zomato said food safety was of paramount importance.
"We welcome any move by FSSAI which will help us make the restaurant industry safer for consumers," a spokesperson said. "We provide last-mile delivery to our users and are taking stringent steps to ensure the safety of food."