India’s food ordering and delivery platform Zomato has announced a zero-tolerance policy on analogue dairy products used in dishes sold by restaurants listed on its platform.
Under the new policy, effective immediately, dishes that restaurant partners have declared as containing analogue dairy have been delisted from Zomato. The company has also reserved the right to remove any restaurant listing found to be in violation of the policy.
The move is positioned as a consumer-first initiative aimed at improving transparency around food ingredients and reinforcing the platform’s focus on food quality.
Restaurants asked to take corrective action
Zomato has asked restaurant partners using analogue dairy products to take immediate corrective measures. These include switching to natural dairy products or removing dishes containing analogue dairy from their menus where an immediate transition is not possible.
Restaurants have also been asked to review product labels and ingredient declarations provided by suppliers to verify the ingredients being used and ensure that dishes listed on Zomato accurately represent their composition.
Restaurants that fail to comply with the policy could be delisted from the Zomato platform.
The company said the policy forms part of its broader focus on encouraging healthier food choices and greater transparency for consumers, while remaining aligned with applicable regulatory requirements.
Focus on transparency
The latest move puts greater emphasis on ingredient-level transparency at a time when consumers are paying closer attention to the quality and composition of food they order online.
For restaurant partners, the policy places greater responsibility on ensuring that ingredients used in food preparation are accurately declared and that menu descriptions on the platform reflect the products actually being served.
“At Zomato, our core mission is better food for more people, and that means safeguarding customer health and upholding clear standards for what’s listed and served by our restaurant partners,” said Zomato CEO Aditya Mangla.
“This policy reflects that commitment, one we’re taking together with partners who share it,” Mangla added.
With immediate delisting of declared analogue-dairy dishes and the threat of platform-level action against non-compliant restaurants, Zomato is seeking to make ingredient transparency a more integral part of its food delivery ecosystem