Zomato introduces new feature to reduce food waste amidst safety concerns

In a bid to reduce food waste, Zomato has launched a new feature called “Food rescue” that will allow users to claim an order another user cancelled in their proximity.

Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal said in a post on X that “in spite of stringent policies and a no-refund policy for cancellations, more than 4 lakh perfectly good orders get cancelled on Zomato, for various reasons by customers.

” This policy aims to tackle the food waste issue by allowing customers to buy these orders at a discounted rate and providing restaurants with an additional profit from the new order’s price.

How does the feature work for customers? If a customer cancels an order while a delivery partner has left with the package, the app will charge them the cancellation fee, which amounts to 100% of the order amount.

The app will then display the cancelled order to other customers within a three km radius of the delivery partner carrying the order, at a discounted rate.

The original customer and those in their immediate vicinity will not receive the option to claim the order.

The option to claim will only be available for a few minutes to ensure freshness.

The app will split the amount the new customer pays with the original customer (if they made an online payment) and with the restaurant partner.

Zomato said that it will not keep any proceeds, except the required government taxes.

Orders containing items sensitive to distances or temperature such as ice creams, shakes, smoothies, and certain perishable items, are not eligible for this food waste reduction feature and customers who prefer vegetarian food will not see non-vegetarian orders.

Zomato has shared that 99.

9% of its restaurant partners want to be a part of this initiative but those who do not wish to participate can instantly opt out via their Restaurant Partner app and dashboard.

They will receive compensation for the original cancelled order, plus a portion of the amount the new customer pays when they claim the order.

They will also be able to see Food Rescue orders in the Order History section on the Restaurant Partner app and their Weekly Payout statement, in the ‘Order Level’ tab.

Zomato has also assured that it will compensate delivery partners fully for the entire trip, from the initial pickup to the final drop-off at the new customer’s location.

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