IndiaRetailBiz

“No notice of suspension or cancellation has been served against any Subhiksha outlet and all media reports in this regard are completely inaccurate.” — Mohit Khattar, President-Marketing, Subhiksha.

Subhiksha, the country’s largest food & grocery supermarket retail chain, facing charges of flouting hygiene regulations in Maharashtra, according to agency reports, will go through scanner of the state’s Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).

According to a statement made by Maharashtra’s Minister for Food and Drug Administration Baba Siddique on the floor of state Assembly, process of rechecking the retail chain’s warehousing facilities is expected to be completed in the next 10 days.

The FDA had earlier temporarily cancelled the chain’s licence on two separate occasions - March 1to10 and June 23 to 27 - for failing to comply with hygiene regulations of the state in the food packaging area within its warehouses, said Siddiqui.

Citing a report of earlier checks prepared by the authority (FDA), which found food to be lying on floor amid spit and dust that posed danger to public health, Pandurang Phundkar, Leader of the Opposition, demaded that the state Government should cancell the retailer’s licence to operate within Maharashtra.

“Subhiksha was repacking food items although it did not have a licence for this,” said Pandurang Phundkar.

Subhiksha, founded 11 years ago in 1997 by banker turned retailer R Subramanian, is currently operating over over 1,000 food & grocery convenience stores in 90 cities across nine states in the country. Subhiksha is also operating a 750 stores mobile retail chain called Subhiksha Mobile.