Zomato, the popular food delivery platform, is facing a food safety challenge after a raid at its Hyperpure warehouse in Hyderabad unearthed expired button mushrooms. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) team found 90 packets of mushrooms with incorrect packaging dates, indicating a potential violation of food safety regulations.
In response to the incident, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal took to social media to clarify the situation, attributing the issue to a ‘manual typing error’ on the part of a vendor. He stated that the expired mushrooms had already been identified by Hyperpure’s warehouse team and rejected during their quality control process.
Goyal emphasized that such incidents are not typical for Hyperpure, which boasts stringent internal guidelines and technological systems to ensure food safety. The company has since delisted the vendor responsible for the error from its database.
The controversy has prompted scrutiny of Hyperpure’s food safety protocols. The Telangana food safety regulator reported that its inspection of the Hyderabad warehouse revealed several concerns, including open access to the external environment, the presence of houseflies, and food handlers without proper attire.
Despite the incident, Zomato maintains its commitment to upholding industry food safety standards. Goyal expressed his surprise over the media attention focused on the small number of expired mushroom packets, highlighting that they were never intended for customer consumption. He emphasized Hyperpure’s commitment to maintaining high product quality throughout the supply chain.
The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of rigorous food safety measures, especially in the realm of food delivery and B2B operations. It also highlights the challenges faced by businesses in ensuring the integrity of their supply chains and maintaining consumer confidence in the face of potential food safety breaches.
