In an ongoing endeavour towards ensuring ‘better food for more people’, Zomato recently introduced Zomato Safely Sealed; 100% tamper-proof packaging to add an extra layer of safety to food deliveries.
After the Zomato delivery boy fiasco who found eating from the delivery box which he was supposed to deliver food tech players like Zomato and Swiggy have worked on the betterment of the food safety and delivery.
Swiggy earlier launched ‘Swiggy Packaging Assist’ that offers restaurants access to a variety of packing solutions for their menu needs with about 30 products to begin with. The marketplace connects restaurants with vendors of these materials and offers eco-friendly and food grade certified materials including leakproof, sturdy, stackable, eco-friendly and heat insulant packaging materials.
Whereas, Zomato Safely Sealed comes in two variations to fit different sized boxes. The versatility of the packaging design allows for efficient utilization of the space, and the transparent body allows users to check the packaging of the food. The safety seals are made from a single material polymer with 50 microns thickness, and are completely reusable/recyclable. Zomato will soon launch the biodegradable versions of the packaging as well.
“Our commitment to ensuring safe and hygienic food reaching our users involves our contribution at every possible step — from supplying ingredients through Hyperpure, to safety audits through Food Hygiene Ratings. Zomato Safely Sealed is our latest attempt at adding an extra layer of safety, ensuring our users receive food as good as it was when it was prepared in the kitchen,” shared Mohit Gupta, CEO, Food Delivery, Zomato that ran a pilot for this initiative among 40 restaurants in Gurugram and received an overwhelming response from both participating restaurants and users.
Today, over 5,000 restaurant partners with Zomato are sealing their food using the packaging in over 10 cities.
During the first phase, this tamper-proof packaging is being implemented across 10 cities (Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Nagpur and Vadodara) in India and will be steadily introduced across all the 180+ cities where Zomato’s online ordering and food delivery services are present. This packaging will be 100% tamper proof — once the food is sealed by the restaurant, the packet can only be opened by cutting off the top-end strip. The platform advises its users to not only not accept the delivery if the safety seal is open, but also highlight it to them through their multiple communication channels.
On the other hand, Swiggy Packaging Assist has introduced eco-friendly meal trays and other items made from materials such as cornstarch and bagasse. To enable faster adoption of sustainable packaging options at the restaurant level itself, Swiggy is working with multiple design consultants and manufacturers to come up with innovations and enhancements to the quality of packaging available in the country.
Zomato will also feature a ‘100% SAFELY SEALED’ badge on the app for all restaurants who sign-up to use the packaging, further educating users in the decision-making process when ordering food online.
“We always strive to provide the best quality food to customers ordering online and we depend on the food aggregators to make sure it reaches the same way to the customers,” said Abdul Rashid, Partner, Alkauser.
Hence, we can say that food-tech players are working towards adopting biodegradable packaging for food delivery by launching an eco-friendly packing range comprising bamboo products (which also provides employment to tribal communities), corrugated paper with coatings, and sugarcane bagasse products. Plans are underway to offer added benefits to restaurants that are shifting to eco-friendly packaging; by providing them with additional marketing visibility and benefits on the platform - app and web.
