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Zomato, the popular food delivery platform in India, has introduced a new feature called Food Rescue, aiming to reduce food waste caused by cancelled orders. This feature allows users to purchase nearby cancelled orders at a discounted price, promoting both sustainability and convenience. Available within a 3-kilometre radius of the delivery partner, these orders can be claimed by other users for a limited time, providing fresh meals at lower costs.
According to Zomato’s recent blog post, Food Rescue will be implemented with strict quality controls. Orders that become available through this service will reach customers quickly and in their original, untampered packaging, ensuring safety and quality. However, only select food items will be eligible for the service, with perishable items like ice creams, shakes, and other temperature-sensitive foods excluded to maintain freshness and avoid deterioration.
Food Rescue has some limitations so that the service cannot be misused in any way. For instance, the existing user who cancelled the order, the nearby users will not be able to take back the order. This limit means that food gets to the new customers who are really interested rather than bouncing back to the same buyer at a cheaper price. Further, if the prior order that got cancelled was an online order wherein the customer has already made the payment then the new customer’s payment which will go to the restaurant partner, the delivery partner and to Zomato will be utilised for minimising government taxes and only some of the compulsory fees.
Continuing with its commitment to supporting food providers, Zomato says that 99.9% of its restaurant partners have agreed to take part in this campaign. By using Food Rescue these restaurants not only get back part of the cost of cancelled meals but also receive a part of the full payment that the new buyer makes ensuring that both the restaurant and the delivery personnel get their dues. Delivery partners, in particular, will receive full compensation for their trips and we ensure the stability of their earnings regardless of the cancellation status.
To build further upon the waste reduction mechanism, specific measures have been implemented where the feature can only offer the right products. For example, the Food Rescue list of what customers have to pick up will only include vegetarian orders for those who use the service because they have dietary restrictions which have to be respected.
In conclusion, it may be suggested that Food Rescue acts as a mutually beneficial supplement to the main Zomato services as it could satisfy customers’ needs offering inexpensive meals, and help to fight food waste at the same time. As this feature goes towards supporting sustainability, there will be potential financial gains that restaurants and delivery partners lose due to cancellations. It is possible that Zomato’s Food Rescue way may set the direction for food delivery platforms to collectively redress the problem of order cancellation in a best practices way that will prove to be both beneficial to the environment and for the consumers.
