Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal has addressed reports concerning a food safety issue at the company's Hyperpure warehouse in Hyderabad. The issue involved mushroom packets allegedly labelled with a future packing date. Goyal clarified that this was a vendor error.
In a Twitter post, Goyal explained that 90 packets of button mushrooms were incorrectly labelled with a future date. This error was identified by Zomato's warehouse quality control team and was attributed to a manual typing error by the vendor. As a result, the vendor has been removed from Zomato's database. Goyal stressed the company's stringent guidelines and tech systems that helped identify the error before the mushrooms reached customers.
Goyal said, "This is not usual, and was due to a manual typing error on the vendor’s side. Still, the concerned vendor has been delisted from our database. At Hyperpure, we have stringent inward guidelines and tech systems that helped our teams to identify this error in time."
However, reportedly, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) conducted an inspection at Zomato's Hyperpure facility in Hyderabad as part of efforts to enhance food safety checks ahead of Diwali. Despite the labelling issue, the facility received an A+ rating, the highest in FSSAI's system. Goyal expressed frustration over the media's focus on the isolated incident, suggesting a bias against big businesses.
He said, "I am not sure why just these small number of mushroom packets worth Rs 7,200 (out of the crores of inventory in the warehouse), which were never going to make it to customers, are being talked about the media, while we got an A+ rating. Maybe some people benefit from the virality which they get at the expense of pulling down the Zomato brand. And maybe we all love to believe the narrative that “all big business is bad business”.
NDTV reported that FSSAI officials found 18 kilos of button mushrooms labelled with a packing date of October 30, 2024, during an inspection on October 29. Such future dating is a food safety violation, especially in a licensed facility like Hyperpure. Inspectors also noted hygiene issues, including house flies, inadequate insect-proofing, and food handlers not consistently wearing protective gear. However, the facility was found to have necessary licenses and certifications.
This incident follows an earlier inspection at a Blinkit warehouse, also operated by Zomato, where expired items were found. Blinkit responded by committing to corrective actions based on FSSAI's findings.
Despite recent negative attention, Goyal insists that Zomato is serious about safety standards, with tech-driven quality checks preventing customer exposure to the labelling mistake.
As food safety remains a sensitive issue in India, particularly during festive seasons, Zomato's leadership is committed to enhancing protocols to avoid future problems. The company has not disclosed any additional steps following the latest FSSAI inspection.