FDA Chief Seeks Consumer Audit for Zomato, Swiggy, Foodpanda etc

Dr Pallavi Darade, a medical graduate working for the Indian Revenue Services, was deputed as commissioner of Food & Drugs Administration (FDA) in Maharashtra during the last one and a half years. Her notable achievement has been, busting the food safety aura that the trendy and extremely popular online home delivery eateries – Zomato, Swiggy, Foodpanda, and Uber Eats had amongst them.
In the raids conducted on 350 outlets in Mumbai, 112 were found to have `shocking unhygienic conditions’, besides not having registered food licences.

Dr Darade: We have the Facebook page, the helpline, and landline numbers and we have offices in every district. And I think, as a consumer, you should be aware. Plus you should demand from the food portals and the food apps that transparency has to be there. You see, FDA cannot reach every place. I do want to reach but it is not possible for me. The community should be aware and the consumer should ask the service provider who is making food for them – ask them, you are making this dish for me, tell me how you are making, whether you are following these conditions. In fact, in their feedback they should say, why don’t you show me the photographs of your kitchen, why don’t you give some live feedback on the kitchens from where you are accessing my food or where you are making it; so that kind of transparency wherever possible – digitally, is very easy for them.

 

Secondly, our FSSI parent body has advised that all the restaurants should have transparent kitchens. Wherever possible you can have transparent kitchens but at times it is not possible to have them. So, in such cases, what we can do is we can make loyal customers of that restaurant, along with the owner visit the kitchen sometimes, whenever it is comfortable for both. I’m not saying during peak hours but when it is not so hectic and when it is convenient for the owner and for the customer. That kind of transparency will bring in a lot of cleanliness and a lot of accountability. Earning money is fine; people need these services, so give it; but then do it responsibly. Follow the conditions stringently – taking a license itself is not enough.

[Excerpted from Dr. Darade's interview by Vinita Deshmukh for MoneyLife]