Karnataka Suspends Amazon, Instamart, BigBasket Food Licences Over Toxic Datura Listings

The Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration Department suspended the food licences and registrations of Amazon, Swiggy Instamart, and BigBasket on August 24, 2026, after poisonous Datura fruits and seeds were found being sold through the three platforms for human consumption, per Inc42.

The order directed all three platforms to immediately remove every listing, advertisement, and promotional material offering Datura — also known as Dhatura or thorn apple — as a food product or for human use. The department noted that Datura fruits and seeds carry poisonous properties with serious adverse health effects, and that selling, distributing, storing, or displaying them as food is impermissible under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011, according to Inc42.

The matter surfaced after officials found Datura products listed on the platforms under valid food licences and registration numbers, with inventory stored in warehouses and sold through e-commerce channels. The department subsequently issued notices to the food business operators involved, instructing them to halt sales, pull related listings, and submit written explanations. At a hearing on August 24, Amazon did not respond to the notice at all. Swiggy Instamart asked for additional time to produce documents showing its compliance steps. BigBasket told the department it had already stopped selling Datura and removed the listing, and said it would relabel remaining stock to state clearly that the products are "not for human consumption." The department found all three responses unsatisfactory, per Inc42.

The suspension also extends to the individual sellers and supplier organisations that supplied Datura products through the three platforms, with their food licences and registrations ordered suspended with immediate effect by the relevant local authorities. All three platforms have been directed to submit compliance reports; once received, the department will hold a separate hearing to determine whether the suspensions should be lifted.

The Karnataka action fits a broader pattern of regulatory pressure on quick-commerce and online grocery operators in India. Earlier in August 2026, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration suspended 14 licences linked to Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart following inspections of 86 food establishments, according to Inc42. The department warned that any future violation of the Karnataka order could result in further action under applicable laws.