"Will Roll It Back If…" Zomato CEO After ‘Pure Veg Fleet’ Plan Criticised As ‘Casteist’, ‘Discriminatory’
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal“s unveiling of the “Pure Veg Mode” and corresponding “Pure Veg Fleet” to cater to India”s vegetarian population has stirred controversy, with critics labelling the move as “casteist” and “discriminatory.” Following backlash, Mr Goyal responded to the criticism, reaffirming the company”s commitment to customer preferences while addressing concerns raised by detractors.
In his response, Mr Goyal acknowledged the overwhelmingly positive reception to the initiative, particularly among young consumers whose families adhere to vegetarian dietary practices. He emphasized that the Pure Veg Mode strictly serves a dietary preference and is not intended to discriminate based on religion or caste.
He also promised that the company will roll it back if they see any significant negative repercussions of this change. “There’s an opinion that some societies and RWAs will now not let our regular fleet in. We will stay alert for any such cases and work with these RWAs to not let this happen. We understand our social responsibility due to this change, and we will not back down from solving it when the need arises. And I promise, that if we see any significant negative social repercussions of this change, we will roll it back in a heartbeat,” he wrote on an X post.
Explaining the need for separate delivery fleets, Goyal cited instances where food spills from previous orders could affect the olfactory experience of subsequent orders, necessitating the segregation of fleets to maintain the integrity of vegetarian food. He assured that participation in the Pure Veg Fleet would not discriminate based on the dietary preferences of delivery partners.
I have received an overwhelmingly positive response on this launch from so many people. A lot of comments from young people who eat non-veg food saying “now my parents can also use zomato”.
I would like to repeat that this feature strictly serves a dietary preference. And I know…
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) March 19, 2024
Addressing concerns about potential societal repercussions, Mr Goyal pledged to work with residential welfare associations (RWAs) to prevent any discrimination against Zomato”s regular delivery fleet. He underscored the company”s commitment to social responsibility and promised to roll back the initiative if significant negative consequences emerged.
Criticism of Zomato”s plan came from various quarters, with author and activist Dr. Meena Kandasamy raising concerns about caste implications and urging the company to ensure that only vegetarian drivers handle orders from the Pure Veg Fleet. Journalist and digital rights activist Nikhil Pahwa criticized the move as “idiotic” and questioned the potential discrimination against customers with specific dietary requirements.
What an idiotic take. It is ensuring @zomato does not get disrupted by a veg only foodtech startup. Given the size of veg only customers, it could have happened anytime.
And if RWA does not allow non veg then fight the RWA and not service provider. So many flaws in ur argument https://t.co/I1Py3w8Xu8
— Abhinay Jain (@AbhinayJain6) March 19, 2024
Additionally, social media users expressed dismay over the perceived discriminatory nature of the initiative, with some threatening to delete the app from their phones in protest. Critics warned that the segregation of delivery fleets could lead to the exclusion of Zomato”s regular delivery personnel from certain housing societies.
This pure veg nonsense could result in more exclusions and acrimonious disputes. Apartment neighbours, landlords will now know what food is delivered and may discriminate against residents. People could get hurt, even delivery persons
— binu karunakaran (@litemeter) March 19, 2024
