Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal has publicly addressed concerns after the Food Safety Task Force flagged “future-dated” button mushrooms in Zomato’s Hyderabad warehouse, part of its B2B supply chain platform, Hyperpure. Goyal clarified that the incident was the result of a manual error from a vendor and reassured customers about the company’s commitment to food safety.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Goyal explained that 90 packets of button mushrooms with an incorrect packaging date had been detected during an inspection by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on October 29. These mislabeled products were identified by Zomato’s internal quality control (QC) team and were prevented from reaching customers.
“Hello all – just want to clarify that the FSSAI team noted that 90 packets of button mushrooms had an incorrect packaging date – these were already identified by our warehouse team and were rejected during an inward QC,” Goyal said, adding, “This is not usual, and was due to a manual typing error on the vendor’s side. Still, the concerned vendor has been delisted from our database.”
Goyal reassured customers about Hyperpure’s stringent quality control and technology systems that enabled quick identification of the issue. Hyperpure supplies fresh ingredients, consumables, and kitchen equipment to hotels, restaurants, and catering services across India.
“At Hyperpure, we have stringent inward guidelines and tech systems that helped our teams to identify this error in time,” Goyal wrote.
He noted that the vendor involved has been removed from Zomato’s database, underscoring the company’s commitment to food safety standards. Recently, Hyperpure’s Hyderabad warehouse achieved an A+ rating from FSSAI, a top benchmark in the industry following the inspection.
“We are committed to upholding industry food safety standards and are focused on not compromising on product quality at any stage of the supply chain. The recent food safety inspection at our Hyderabad warehouse resulted in the Hyperpure warehouse achieving an A+ rating, the highest benchmark in their ranking,” Goyal stated.
Addressing the media coverage surrounding the inspection, Goyal commented on the potential impact on Zomato’s brand reputation over a minor incident.
“I am not sure why just these small number of mushroom packets worth Rs 7,200 (out of the crores of inventory in the warehouse), which were never going to make it to customers, are being talked about the media, while we got an A+ rating,” he remarked. “Maybe some people benefit from the virality which they get at the expense of pulling down the Zomato brand. And maybe we all love to believe the narrative that ‘all big business is bad business.'”
The inspection in Hyderabad, conducted on October 29 at Zomato Hyperpure’s Kukatpally warehouse, identified 18 kilos of button mushrooms that were labeled with a packaging date of October 30, despite the inspection happening a day earlier.
Hyperpure, Zomato’s B2B division, sources fresh produce, meats, groceries, and kitchen supplies to hospitality businesses, reinforcing quality and safety protocols through extensive checks and certified practices.
