Dark store licences and FSSAI: meaning, how it works in India

A dark store is a closed-door warehouse placed inside a neighbourhood to pack and dispatch orders within minutes. It holds groceries, packaged food, dairy, fresh produce and non-food items. Because it stores food, it falls under food safety law even though customers never walk in.

The licences usually mentioned for such a site are an FSSAI licence or registration for storing food, a shops and establishments registration under the state, a trade licence from the local municipal body, a fire safety clearance, and, for a company, GST registration. Which exact permits apply depends on the state and the city, so the list is a general picture rather than a checklist.

The Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 makes every food business operator get a licence or registration, and the FSS (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations 2011 explain how. The licence type, whether registration, state or central, depends on the kind and size of the business. The thresholds are set in the regulations and updated from time to time, so they are not repeated here.

For online sellers, FSSAI has issued directions to e-commerce food business operators over the years. According to law-firm explainers, an e-commerce entity that facilitates food orders must hold a central licence, and the sellers and storage points on its platform need their own licences. In July 2025, press reports said FSSAI also directed e-commerce firms to show their licence or registration numbers on receipts and invoices. A reader should confirm the details in FSSAI's own notices.

In early June 2025 the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration inspected a Zepto dark store in Mumbai's Dharavi and, according to multiple outlets, suspended its food business licence on 1 June. Reports said inspectors found expired products stored next to fresh ones, fungus on some items and unhygienic conditions, including stagnant water.

The authority also acted against Blinkit. A report said that its Pune inspection on 5 June found a dark store without the required food licence, and licence suspensions followed. Press reports of a wider drive named Zepto, Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart sites in Maharashtra, though the total counts differ between outlets. One report said Zepto's Dharavi store later resumed after the suspension was revoked, and that is a single source.

FSSAI warned e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms to follow food safety norms or face action, and reports said it began inspections of dark stores and cloud kitchens. It also looked at tighter rules for expiry dates and labelling in quick commerce.

Platforms said they had started internal audits and made food safety a priority. The practical changes reported were more checks on expiry, better storage separation and more attention to licence numbers on each dark store. For startups, this means compliance staff and audits are now a cost line in dark store operations.

Food safety is only one layer. A shops and establishments registration covers labour and working hours rules. A trade licence from the municipal body allows business in a location. Fire safety is a state subject, and large storage sites may need a no-objection certificate. Zoning rules decide whether a commercial warehouse may sit in a residential building.

Whether dark stores are legal in residential areas therefore depends on the local zoning and the building's permitted use, not on one national rule. Residents' associations have sometimes objected to noise and traffic, and these disputes are decided at the local level.

A dark store is built on speed and thin margins. A suspension of even one store stops sales in the area, and platforms can lose goodwill. Compliance cost also adds to the cost of setting up a store, which affects the math of how fast a platform can add stores.

Investors who study quick commerce look at how many stores have all their licences, how often the company is inspected and whether the platform or the seller holds the licence. In a marketplace model, the platform can be liable for sellers on it, so it must check them.

News about a suspension can mean different things. A licence can be suspended for a short time until the problems are fixed, cancelled for good, or the store can be asked to apply again. Some headlines refer to one store, and others to many.

• Which authority acted: the state food regulator, FSSAI or a municipal body?
• Is it a suspension, a cancellation or a notice?
• How many sites are affected, and is that number from an official statement?
• Did the company say the licence was restored?
• Is the issue about hygiene, expired goods or missing paperwork?

News about dark store inspections can be hard to follow, so it helps to keep a short set of facts in mind. These come from press reports and law-firm summaries and are current as of November 2026. They are not a substitute for the regulator's notices.

The law behind food licences is the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. The licensing rules date from 2011. The inspections of Zepto and Blinkit sites in Maharashtra were in late May and early June 2025. The July 2025 FSSAI direction asked e-commerce firms to show licence numbers on bills.

It is also useful to know who enforces what. State food regulators carry out most inspections and can suspend a licence, while FSSAI sets the rules and can issue directions to platforms. Municipal bodies and fire departments act separately. A single site can therefore face action from several authorities for different reasons, and a news item about one does not mean the others have acted.

• Law: Food Safety and Standards Act 2006; Licensing Regulations 2011.
• Zepto Dharavi store: inspected 31 May 2025, licence suspended 1 June 2025, per press reports.
• Blinkit Pune store: inspected 5 June 2025, per press reports.
• FSSAI direction to show licence numbers on invoices: July 2025, per press reports.
• Typical other permits: shops and establishments, trade licence, fire safety, GST.

A restaurant serves diners and a cloud kitchen cooks food for delivery. Both are food preparation businesses with hygiene checks on cooking. A dark store mostly stores and packs, so storage conditions, temperature and expiry control matter most. The licence category and the inspection checklist therefore differ.

This guide gives general information and is not legal advice. Licensing rules and thresholds change, so a business should check with a professional or the regulator.