Zomato’s ‘Pure Veg Mode’ Sparks Delivery Fleet Controversy
On Tuesday, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal garnered attention by unveiling an innovative service named “Pure Veg Mode,” designed specifically to cater to vegetarian clientele. This functionality showcases only restaurants serving vegetarian dishes. Furthermore, orders made via this mode will be managed by Zomato’s dedicated “Pure Veg Fleet,” identifiable by their unique green uniforms and delivery packaging.
Goyal justified the creation of a distinct fleet for vegetarian deliveries, citing situations where food spills led to lingering aromas affecting subsequent orders. “That’s why we had to segregate the fleet for vegetarian orders,” he stressed.
“This is highly concerning as it could lead to numerous housing societies in regions like the cowbelt, Gujarat, and Mumbai outright barring red-shirted Zomato delivery personnel. Not only does this encourage discrimination, but it also jeopardizes the social acceptance of certain customers.”
“This decision shouldn’t have been taken; drivers in red shirts will face restrictions in numerous societies and areas, further widening the divide.”
This is deeply disturbing because now many housing societies in the cowbelt, Gujarat, and even Mumbai will just ban the entry of red-shirted Zomato delivery persons. Mot only promoting discrimination, you are actively putting some of your customers in danger of ostracization! https://t.co/XQl40tjXRy
— Shantanu (@shantanub) March 19, 2024
Diverse Reactions to Zomato’s ‘Pure Veg’ Initiative
Certain users raised doubts about the accuracy of the statistics provided by Goyal to support the implementation of the ‘Pure Veg’ feature. Despite Goyal’s assertion that India boasts the highest proportion of vegetarians worldwide, online commentators highlighted that over 50% of the Indian populace identifies as non-vegetarian.
Citing data from the NFHS (National Family Health Survey) spanning 2019-2022, a user contested Goyal’s claim, stating, “81% of India’s population is non-vegetarian. Unsure of where @deepigoyal is sourcing his data and statistics.”
Another commenter expressed, “This marketing stunt must be one of the worst decisions ever made. By catering to 10% of India’s vegetarian population, you’ve managed to alienate and offend 90% of India’s non-vegetarian population.”
Amidst the controversy, some embraced the initiative, relieved that their food orders would now assure pure vegetarian meals, thus averting previous occurrences of receiving mistakenly non-vegetarian items.”
Diverse Responses to Zomato’s ‘Pure Veg’ Initiative
“This decision will also benefit those delivery agents who are strict vegetarians. The introduction of the ‘Pure Veg Fleet’ and ‘Pure Veg Mode’ is beneficial for both delivery agents and customers,” commented one user.
Another user chimed in, “I’m acquainted with many individuals who refrain from ordering online due to their strict vegetarian diet. I trust this initiative will prove valuable to them. Applause to @zomato for consistently prioritizing customer feedback.”
Others predicted positive outcomes, foreseeing an uptick in the recruitment of delivery partners for Zomato, thanks to the introduction of vegetarian-only options. “This will likely motivate individuals who were previously hesitant to deliver non-vegetarian food to join as delivery partners,” one user optimistically anticipated.
In the midst of varied reactions, Zomato’s introduction of the “Pure Veg” feature left many puzzled, leading to a barrage of inquiries aimed at Goyal. Even Congress MP Karti Chidambaram expressed apprehensions regarding potential discrimination linked to delivery personnel’s dietary preferences, querying, “Could this ‘fleet’ possibly exclude delivery staff based on their individual dietary preferences? That’s the underlying concern, I suspect.”
Zomato Unifies Rider Uniforms
Another inquisitive user pondered, “Will there be a ‘Pure Non-Veg’ mode? Will the delivery fleet be exclusively divided into ‘Pure Veg’ or ‘Pure Non-Veg’ categories?” Meanwhile, a third user injected humor into the discourse, jokingly remarking, “Will Zomato ensure that delivery personnel take a bath after consuming non-vegetarian food and before delivering a pure vegetarian order? Because on days/nights when I eat non-veg, I have to bathe before entering my house’s rooms…”
In response to the backlash following the introduction of Zomato’s ‘Pure Veg Mode’ and ‘Pure Veg Fleet,’ CEO Deepinder Goyal swiftly addressed the situation, pledging to withdraw the initiative if it continued to generate significant negative social repercussions. True to his promise, Goyal took action. Merely one day afterward, Goyal revealed a substantial update to Zomato’s policies. From now on, all delivery riders, whether assigned to the regular fleet or the ‘Pure Veg Fleet,’ would wear red uniforms. This decision came amidst heated online debates and criticism surrounding the newly-introduced all-vegetarian service.
In a post on X, Goyal provided an “update on our pure veg fleet,” explaining, “While we will maintain a fleet for vegetarians, we have decided to eliminate the on-ground segregation of this fleet using the color green. All our riders — both in our regular fleet and our vegetarian fleet — will wear red uniforms.” He stressed that this adjustment would remove the visual distinction of the vegetarian fleet on While the distinction of the vegetarian fleet would no longer be visible on the ground, it would still be apparent in the app that vegetarian orders would be handled exclusively by the vegetarian fleet.
