Zepto Customer’s Experience Sparks Alarm Over Quick Food Delivery Health Risks
Concerns Over Quick Food Delivery | A recent incident involving the quick-commerce platform Zepto has brought to light concerns over product quality and customer service. A customer, Nikita Biswas, shared her experience on LinkedIn, raising issues about missing items, alleged poor product quality, and delays in resolving her concerns. According to Biswas, she placed an order worth ₹688.92, which included a significant portion—₹401.92—allocated to items from Zepto Café. However, upon receiving the order, several discrepancies were noted:
Missing Items: An egg tray priced at ₹287 and a New Year gift box were reportedly not delivered. Biswas claimed that despite assurances from Zepto that the gift box was included, no photographic proof of delivery—standard practice for the platform—was provided.
Product Concerns: The customer alleged that the eggs appeared artificial, describing them as “layered like plastic” with a similar taste. Additionally, the chicken puff contained what she believed was “fake chicken.” The tea was described as low-quality machine tea, and all the items were reportedly stale and cold upon arrival.
Customer Service Response: Biswas highlighted that it took the company an hour to process a refund and expressed dissatisfaction with the perceived lack of empathy in addressing the matter.
The Dark Side of 10-Minute Food Delivery
Such feedback echoes a growing wave of criticism from prominent voices who have questioned the very concept of quick food delivery services. Many experts and industry leaders have raised concerns over the long-term implications of prioritizing speed over quality and health. Among them, Dr. Manan Vora and Shantanu Deshpande have been vocal about the risks posed by these ultra-fast services.
Dr. Vora, an orthopaedic surgeon and co-founder of NutriByte Wellness, highlights the reliance on ultra-processed foods to achieve delivery speeds as fast as 10 minutes. He warns that these foods, which undergo pre-cooking, freezing, and reheating, not only lose freshness but also pose serious health risks, including higher rates of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. Dr. Vora makes it clear: “We don’t want ultra-processed garbage delivered in 10 minutes!” His message to consumers is clear: prioritize freshly prepared meals over the convenience of speed, as the health consequences of these ultra-processed meals can be severe.
Similarly, Shantanu Deshpande, founder and CEO of Bombay Shaving Company, has expressed alarm at the culture of instant gratification driving quick food delivery. Criticizing the reliance on frozen ingredients and pre-cooked meals masquerading as fresh, Deshpande pointed to the growing addiction to cheap, unhealthy fast food. He warned that this trend mirrors health crises in countries like the US and China but without the same economic infrastructure to manage the fallout. “Cook time: 2 minutes, delivery time: 8 minutes. A ‘quick-commerce for food’ founder told me this, and I lost my mind,” he said. Deshpande urged consumers to reconsider their reliance on such services, emphasizing the importance of healthier food choices.
