Karnataka suspends the food licences of Amazon, Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket after allegations that “datura” products are being sold online despite being toxic. The department orders action following findings that online listings and sales of the product are occurring on multiple e-commerce platforms.
The department also directs an inquiry into how datura products are being offered and listed across online channels. According to the reports, Amazon does not provide a response to the department’s notice. Swiggy Instamart seeks additional time to submit documents related to the steps it says it has taken. BigBasket responds that it has stopped the online sale of the relevant fruits.
Across the outlets, the common points are the licence suspension, the identification of datura as toxic, and the department’s move to examine both sales and online listings. The differing elements relate mainly to each company’s immediate response to the action and whether it has already taken steps to halt sales.
