Zomato defers quality policy

Zomato defers quality policy

Subject: Governance

Section: Corporate Governance

Context: Zomato has decided to postpone the proposed plan to ban restaurants based on customer complaints about food quality until next month and has informed restaurants that it will seek feedback from them on how it can strengthen the policy before implementing it.

Concept:

• Under the policy, called ‘Severe Food Quality’ rules, Zomato proposed it would temporarily ban restaurants if consumers complained about their food quality.
• The platform had listed the presence of hazardous objects in food, serving non-vegetarian food instead of vegetarian, delivering the wrong type of meat, and rotten food as examples of severe food quality issues.
• Zomato said it would get feedback from stakeholders on the policy. Besides, the disablement will be in consultation with the restaurant management and will only be applicable till necessary remedial actions are undertaken and verified through a Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)-approved hygiene and safety auditor.
• FSSAI welcomed Zomato’s policy, saying it would ensure customers receive good quality food.
• The FSSAI had earlier launched a hygiene rating for restaurants, cafes, dhabas etc, to make sure customers get good quality food at such outlets. The ratings, voluntary in nature, include several parameters and an inspection by local authorities or a third-party audit of a restaurant’s premises and food offerings.
• The National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI), which had criticised Zomato saying that the firm was overstepping with the policy said while the intent of the policy is understandable, the implementation leaves a lot of grey areas and scope for misuse. Further the action of delisting is draconian.
• Restaurants, meanwhile, are waiting to see how the policy will finally shape up to be and have called for a two-way process., to consider the issue of fake complaints and equally penalise customers engaging in such activities.

To know about FSSAI, refer: https://optimizeias.com/food-safety-and-standards-authority-of-india-fssai/