The Food Safety Department sent teams to Swiggy Instamart’s Uttam Nagar hub and Zepto’s Jheel Khureja outlet on Saturday, finding a lizard perched on shelving and a swarm of cockroaches crawling through aisles.
The inspectors also noted expired frozen green peas, Greek yoghurt, eggless chocolate‑chip brownies and cow ghee at Swiggy, while Zepto’s racks were laced with spider webs, rusted metal, and food placed directly on the floor.
Blinkit’s Asaf Ali Road and Daryaganj sites revealed dusty crates, insufficient rat‑trap installations, and cross‑contamination risks in Rohini where produce was stored in a single container.
At Reliance Retail’s Wazirpur facility, a lizard was found alongside flies, mosquitoes and spider webs; the cleaning checklist was missing entirely.
A separate probe into ghee sold across Delhi found 19 of 59 samples unsafe for consumption and four substandard, prompting the department to name brands such as Haryana Lite, Prabhas and Anand Gold for immediate shutdowns.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, in a statement, urged a ramp‑up of inspections ahead of Diwali, citing the recent destruction of 4,100 kg of adulterated paneer and khoya in September.
The Food Safety Department’s chief, Dr. Asha Menon, said the notices would be enforced within seven days, and any facility refusing to comply would face license suspension.
A Swiggy driver, Arjun, who delivers from the Uttam Nagar hub, told reporters that he had seen the lizard and felt uneasy about the lack of temperature logs, fearing it could affect the safety of the food he delivers.
The next week, the department will conduct follow‑up inspections to verify that corrective measures are implemented and that all storage meets prescribed standards.