Zomato bans analogue cheese, paneer and dairy products from platform
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Zomato has banned dishes containing analogue cheese, paneer and other dairy products, introducing a zero-tolerance policy for listed restaurants.
Food Delivery platform Zomato, on Monday, August 31, announced a complete ban on dishes containing analogue dairy products, and these have been delisted from the platform. In a statement, the platform said that it has a “zero tolerance” policy against the sale of such dishes and reserves the right to remove any listing found in violation. The move comes in the backdrop of a statewide crackdown by the Food and Drug Administration in Maharashtra and inspections by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) at five-star hotels in Delhi.
In a statement issued to vendors listed on the platform, Zomato said, “Our priority is to ensure that customers receive food that is accurately represented, safe and meets the expected quality standards."
“Accordingly, we are implementing a zero-tolerance policy on the listing and supply of food products containing analogue cheese, analogue paneer and other analogue dairy products on our platform.”
What are Analogue Dairy products?
These are synthetic imitations of dairy products which replace traditional ingredients with cheaper or alternative substitutes. These usually use cheaper plant oils, starches, and emulsifiers to replicate the texture and appearance of traditional cheese and paneer. While they are not completely banned, many vendors use them because they are 30-50 per cent cheaper than original dairy products and often do not disclose them to consumers.
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Zomato directive to vendors using analogue dairy
Zomato said that the decision was being taken in line with food safety and regulatory requirements. It urged restaurant partners to take immediate measures, including transitioning to natural dairy products; removing items containing analogue dairy products from their menus where such a transition is not immediately feasible.
“If a restaurant is found to be non-compliant, Zomato reserves the right to delist such restaurants from the platform, in addition to taking any other action available to us under our policies and applicable law,” Zomato stated. It also said that Zomato reserves the right to recover any damage or expense that the company may incur or suffer if non-compliant products are delivered to customers.
