Poisonous fruit sold online; Licenses of Amazon, Swiggy Instamart, Big Basket suspended

BENGALURU: The Karnataka Government has temporarily suspended the food licenses of Amazon, Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket after found selling Datura, a poisonous fruit via online. The Karnataka Food Safety and Drugs Administration Department took action against the online platforms.

The authorities conducted an investigation after receiving a complaint that Datura (Ummathin Kai in Malayalam) and its seeds were being sold online. The investigation found that the poisonous fruits and seeds were displayed for sale as food items on various e-commerce platforms. Some of the packets also had food license or registration numbers written on them. The authorities stated that Datura is an item that can cause serious health issues and even death if consumed by humans.

The food safety department summoned representatives of the company as part of the investigation, but Amazon officials reportedly did not give a reply. Meantime, Swiggy Instamart has sought more time to respond. BigBasket confirmed that it has stopped the online sale of poisonous fruits. The company also said that in future, the label of such products will clearly state 'not for human consumption'.

The food safety department assessed that the explanations given by the online platforms were not satisfactory. The authorities also clarified that it is not permitted to store, sell or distribute poisonous fruits and seeds as food items. Following this, the food licenses of Amazon, Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket have been suspended until further orders.