India’s popular food delivery app ‘Zomato’ drew a massive backlash after some of its delivery executives in West Bengal’s Howrah called for an endless protest against delivering ‘beef and pork orders’.
“The company (Zomato) is not listening to our demands & forcing us to deliver beef & pork against our will. We have been on strike for a week now,” Zomato delivery executives were quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Meanwhile, the food delivery app Zomato later provided a statement saying it is trying to sort out the problem but it is impossible to factor veg and non-veg into delivery logistics, according to ANI.
Zomato spokesperson on the condition of anonymity said that in India it is practically impossible to make sure that veg and non-veg preferences are factored into delivery logistics. However, the spokesperson gave a word that the team is looking to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
“In a country as diverse as India, it is impossible to ensure that vegetarian and non-vegetarian preferences are factored into delivery logistics. Delivery partners are unequivocally made to understand the practical nature of the job as they choose to enter the workforce.
All our partners understand this fully. There is a small group of partners in Howrah, who have raised concerns. We are looking to resolve the issue as quickly as possible,” Zomato spokesperson said in a statement.
Previously this month, a massive social debate started with a Zomato user’s controversial demand for cancellation of his food order just because a ‘non-Hindu’ rider was delivering it.
Zomato’s reply to the demand with a message – “Food doesn’t have a religion. It is a religion” later got into another controversy, with multiple users accusing the food delivery app of ‘Hypocrisy’ and ‘Double standards’ for tagging certain food choices like ‘Halal’ and ‘Jhatka.’