Online Food delivery platform Zomato announced a zero-tolerance policy on analogue dairy products, refusing to list food items made using these substitutes. The company has delisted dishes that restaurant partners declared contained analogue dairy.
The development comes as the food regulators have stepped up the scrutiny of analogue dairy products.
Restaurants must also check product labels and ingredient declarations provided by suppliers to verify the ingredients being used and ensure that products listed on Zomato accurately represent what is being served.
What restaurants asked to do?
Zomato has given certain guidelines that the restaurants need to follow on the platform.
These include switching to natural dairy products wherever possible, removing affected dishes from their menus if an immediate switch is not feasible, checking product labels and ingredient declarations supplied by vendors so that the ingredients used are accurately represented.
Restaurants that fail to comply with the policy could ultimately be delisted from Zomato.
Zomato said the policy is part of its wider focus on healthier food choices, food quality and greater transparency for customers, while also aligning with applicable regulatory requirements.
Safeguarding customer health and maintaining clear standards for food listed and served by restaurant partners were central to the decision, Zomato CEO Aditya Mangla said.
Regulator take stern action:
Recently, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned the manufacturing, storage, distribution, and sale of analogue paneer across the state for one year.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has also directed states and Union Territories to strengthen surveillance and testing of dairy analogues.
In a separate development, reports said the Eternal-owned Zomato is set to cut nearly 250 jobs as the food delivery platform has decided to shut its customer support centre in Hyderabad. Zomato is consolidating its in-house support operations at its Gurugram headquarters.