Zomato unveils tamper-proof packaging to ensure food safety and hygiene

It will be introduced across all 180 cities where Zomato's online ordering and food delivery services are present

Online restaurant guide and food ordering firm Zomato said that it has introduced 100 per cent tamper-proof packaging to add an extra layer of safety to food deliveries. The initiative called ‘Zomato Safely Sealed’ comes in two variations to fit different sized boxes. The firm said 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. 

“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,” said Mohit Gupta, CEO, food delivery, Zomato.

The tamper-proof packaging comes at a time when Zomato received a lot of flak from the public last December when the video of a delivery executive eating food that he was supposed to deliver to the customer, went viral on social media. 

Zomato said the safety seals are made from a single material polymer with 50 microns thickness, and are completely recyclable. It will soon launch the biodegradable versions of the packaging as well.The New Delhi-based firm which has raised total funding of over $755 million from top investors including Sequoia, said that once the food is sealed by the restaurant, the packet can only be opened by cutting off the top-end strip. 

Zomato ran a pilot for the packaging initiative among 40 restaurants in Gurugram. Today, over 5,000 restaurant partners are sealing their food using the packaging. This makes for about 25% of Zomato’s order volume in the 10 cities. “We have already deployed over 3 million packets so far and aim to boost our supply to 3X by April, as we introduce this packaging across 25 more cities in India,” said Gupta.

During the first phase, this tamper-proof packaging is being implemented across 10 cities including places like Jaipur, Chandigarh, Nagpur and Vadodara. It will be steadily introduced across all the 180 cities where Zomato’s online ordering and food delivery services are present. 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.

100% Safely Sealed