GUWAHATI: With hundreds of outlets listed on app-based food delivery services such as Swiggy, Zomato, Foodpanda and Uber Eats that offer lucrative offers on the go, Guwahati has seen a rising trend in door-step-food-delivery services.
Most people are registered to more than one such app on their smartphones thus having the ability to cherry-pick their offers.
However, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a "stop work" notice to over a hundred outlets listed on Swiggy, Zomato, Foodpanda and Uber Eats. The action was taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006 as these companies were "found selling food items without proper permissions from the state authorities," the FDA said. It also said that in some cases the food items "sold" by these outlets were found to be of low quality.
With Guwahati being the next city opening up to such services, it is necessary for the state government to keep an eye on the brands/ outlets registered on these apps.
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"Recently, several food outlets have come under the scanner of the state government and administration and due action has been taken in case of violation of norms and hygiene standards. Apps like Swiggy and Uber Eats are saviors for youngsters like us, but there is no one monitoring these outlets/businesses on apps and social media. In the interest of being pocket-friendly, there is a rat race in the market. Unmonitored businesses like door-to-door tiffin services and night-food services have also started popping up aggressively. While we are consuming the food, we don't know whether they are being cooked with best practices and under hygienic conditions or not," said a student to G Plus under the condition of anonymity.
"We think that the administration and the Health Ministry should take a gander on home-based businesses/outlets are also in operation and whether business owners are aware of the guidelines put in place," said Manas Nath to G Plus.