Zomato has banned analogue dairy dishes from its platform
In recent months, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) department in states such as Maharashtra and Karnataka have launched a severe crackdown on eateries, canteens and online platforms over food safety and hygiene violations, sale of toxic items, sealing warehouses and suspending licenses of companies.
“This policy builds on Zomato’s broader focus on healthier food choices and greater transparency for customers, consistent with applicable regulatory requirements,” the company said. Restaurant partners that remain “non-compliant” will be removed from the food delivery platform, Zomato said. MUMBAI: Amid the ongoing regulatory scrutiny on food safety, Zomato has banned the sale of analogue dairy dishes on its platform, directing restaurants to move to natural dairy products or risk getting delisted.
In a statement on Monday, the company said that dishes that restaurant partners have declared as containing analogue dairy have been delisted from the platform.
Besides, there are concerns around the implementation of the move on the ground, particularly by smaller restaurant chains which will have to take a hit on costs. Thin margins clubbed with aggregator commission, and switching to pure dairy products adds further to cost pressure. For them, the likely response will be to increase the price of products and pass on the cost to the customers or will quietly continue to use analogue dairy while simply not declaring it as such,” he added.