Zomato CEO Clarifies After ‘Future Dated’ Mushrooms Found At Hyderabad Warehouse

Days after reports emerged that a food safety raid at Zomato’s Hyperpure warehouse in Hyderabad allegedly found 90 packets of button mushrooms labelled with a “future packing date”, the foodtech major’s cofounder and CEO Deepinder Goyal has clarified this as the vendor’s mistake.

In a post on X, Goyal acknowledged that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) team identified 90 packets of button mushrooms with incorrect packaging dates. 

However, he emphasised that these items had already been flagged and rejected by Zomato’s warehouse team during their quality control checks.

Goyal pointed out that the incorrect packing date was a manual typing error on the vendor’s part. Goyal added that the concerned vendor has been delisted from Zomato’s database.

Goyal reiterated Zomato’s commitment to food safety saying, “We are committed to upholding industry food safety standards and are focused on not compromising on product quality at any stage of the supply chain. The recent food safety inspection at our Hyderabad warehouse resulted in the Hyperpure warehouse achieving an A+ rating, highest benchmark in their ranking.”

Earlier in October, Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana, in a post on X said that its task force team on October 29 conducted inspections at Zomato Hyperpure Private Limited, IDA, Kukatpally, Hyderabad. 

The authorities discovered 18 Kgs of button mushrooms labelled with a packing date of October 30, 2024, marking a violation of food safety regulations. 

Besides this, the post pointed out that houseflies were found throughout the premises due to the absence of insect-proof screens and some food handlers were found with improper hygiene gear, such as hair caps and aprons. 

It is pertinent to note that the warehouse operates under the classification of a Food Business Operator (FBO), supplying various food items to hotels and restaurants.

Despite having valid licenses and medical fitness certificates for food handlers, these reports raise concerns about Zomato’s compliance with food safety standards. 

This incident follows June’s report of safety violations at another Zomato-owned facility, Blinkit in the Devar Yamjal area of the state’s Medchal Malkajgiri district. 

The Telangana food safety department then conveyed to have seized edible items worth INR 82,000 from the premises, which either did not comply with food safety norms or had expired licences.

These hygiene lapse reports come at the heart of heightened scrutiny around food safety practices in India, as complaints tend to increase sales during festive seasons like Diwali. 

Shares of Zomato were trading 3.2% lower at INR 240.90 at 12 PM on the BSE.