BENGALURU — Karnataka’s Food Safety and Drugs Administration has suspended food licences and registrations linked to Amazon, Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket after Datura fruits and seeds were found listed online as food or for human consumption.
The suspensions will remain in effect until further orders. Authorities have also directed officials to suspend the registrations of establishments, suppliers and sellers that provided the products to the platforms.
The action followed inspections in which officials found packaged Datura fruits and seeds carrying Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licence or registration numbers. Some products were reportedly stored in warehouses before being offered for online sale or distribution.
Regulatory Action and Immediate Bans
The department said the plant material’s toxic properties made its collection, storage, sale or distribution as food a serious public-health concern. It ordered the platforms and associated food businesses to remove all listings, advertisements and promotional material presenting Datura as food. They were also instructed to stop its sale and distribution for human consumption.
Representatives of the businesses appeared before the authority on August 24. According to Moneycontrol’s report on the proceedings, Amazon had not submitted a response, while Swiggy Instamart requested additional time to provide documents. BigBasket said it had stopped the sale and would change the labelling to “Not for human consumption.” The authority considered the responses insufficient given the potential health risk.
The Danger of Datura Toxicity
Datura, also called Dhatura, jimsonweed or thorn apple, is a group of flowering plants belonging to the nightshade family. Its spiny seed capsules are not ordinary edible fruit. The plant contains tropane alkaloids, including atropine, scopolamine and hyoscyamine. The concentration of these compounds can vary between plants and plant parts.
These chemicals can cause anticholinergic poisoning. Verified medical information from the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus service lists possible effects including dry mouth, dilated pupils, blurred vision, rapid heartbeat, fever, hot and dry skin, agitation, severe confusion, hallucinations, seizures and coma. Severe poisoning can be fatal.
Atropine, scopolamine and hyoscyamine also have legitimate medical applications when manufactured as standardised medicines and used in controlled doses. For example, pharmaceutical scopolamine is prescribed to prevent motion sickness and nausea associated with surgery. Such regulated uses do not make raw Datura fruits, seeds or other plant parts safe to consume as food.
The suspended businesses must now submit compliance reports and receive an opportunity to present their cases. Further orders on the licences and registrations will follow under the applicable legal process.
Further reading and useful links
Reader questions
Frequently asked questions
Why did Karnataka suspend the food licences of Amazon, Swiggy, and BigBasket?
The Karnataka Food Safety and Drugs Administration suspended their licences because toxic Datura fruits and seeds were found listed on their platforms as food items meant for human consumption.
What is Datura and why is it dangerous?
Datura is a plant in the nightshade family containing highly toxic tropane alkaloids like atropine and scopolamine. Consuming it can cause severe anticholinergic poisoning, leading to hallucinations, seizures, coma, or even death.
Did the e-commerce platforms respond to the regulatory action?
Yes. BigBasket stated it stopped the sale and would relabel the product as 'Not for human consumption.' Swiggy Instamart asked for more time to provide documents, while Amazon had not yet submitted a response as of August 24.
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