‘Pure Veg Fleet’ Row: Zomato Reverses Decision To Segregate Fleet With Green Uniform

After Zomato’s decision to launch a ‘pure veg fleet’ to cater to vegetarian customers triggered an online row, the foodtech company reversed the decision to introduce a green uniform for delivery partners who will be a part of the new fleet.

“While we are going to continue to have a fleet for vegetarians, we have decided to remove the on-ground segregation of this fleet on the ground using the colour green. All our riders — both our regular fleet, and our fleet for vegetarians, will wear the colour red,” Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal said in a post on X on Wednesday (March 20).

The fleet designated for vegetarian orders will not be identifiable on the ground, but the app will indicate that the vegetarian orders will be served exclusively by the vegetarian-only fleet.

“This will ensure that our red uniform delivery partners are not incorrectly associated with non-veg food, and blocked by any RWAs or societies during any special days… our riders’ physical safety is of paramount importance to us,” Goyal added.

Zomato announced the launch of ‘Pure Veg Fleet’ on Tuesday (March 19) to cater to customers with ‘100% vegetarian dietary preference’. Besides, it also launched ‘Pure Veg Mode’, which will consist of a curation of restaurants that serve only vegetarian food and will exclude all restaurants which serve any non-vegetarian food item.

However, the company’s move faced backlash from some social media users, with many of them raising concerns that many resident welfare associations (RWAs) might put a complete ban on the entry of Zomato delivery partners who are not in the green-coloured uniform of the ‘Pure Veg Fleet’.

Acknowledging the concerns, Goyal said that the foodtech major was willing to roll back the new initiative if any significant negative social repercussions erupt.

The new launches are part of Zomato’s series of experiments with new services and features. Earlier this year, the startup introduced a daily payout feature for select restaurants and also announced its goal of achieving 100% deliveries via electric vehicles by 2033.

Zomato is also setting up a plant for processing value-added food supplies, including, sauces, spreads, pre-cut and semi-finished perishable products, for its Hyperpure vertical.

Shares of Zomato were trading 4.8% higher at INR 165.65 on the BSE at 03:00 PM IST today.

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