Zomato Launches 'Rescue' Service To Combat Food Wastage. How Does It Work?

Indian food delivery company Zomato has introduced a new feature called Food Rescue to combat food wastage arising due to order cancellations, announced cofounder and chief executive Deepinder Goyal on Sunday (Nov 10). Under the new feature, customers will be allowed to buy food items at a discounted price in their original untampered packaging whilst receiving them within minutes, after an order has been cancelled. The platform witnesses approximately 400,000 cancelled orders monthly which prompted the company to launch the initiative.

"We don't encourage order cancellation at Zomato, because it leads to a tremendous amount of food wastage. Inspite of stringent policies, and a no-refund policy for cancellations, more than 4 lakh perfectly good orders get cancelled on Zomato, for various reasons by customers," wrote Goyal on X (formerly Twitter).

"Today, we are introducing a new feature (being scaled as we speak) - Food Rescue! Cancelled orders will now pop up for nearby customers, who can grab them at an unbeatable price, in their original untampered packaging, and receive them in just minutes," he added.

We don't encourage order cancellation at Zomato, because it leads to a tremendous amount of food wastage.

Inspite of stringent policies, and and a no-refund policy for cancellations, more than 4 lakh perfectly good orders get canceled on Zomato, for various reasons by customers.… pic.twitter.com/fGFQQNgzGJ

— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) November 10, 2024

How does Zomato Food Rescue work?

• Once an order has been cancelled, it will pop up on the app for a customer within a 3-kilometre radius of the delivery executive carrying the order. However, the window to claim the order will be open for a few minutes only, in order to ensure freshness.
   
• The amount paid by the new customer will be shared with the original customer and with the restaurant partner. Zomato will not keep any proceeds.
   
• Orders containing items sensitive to distances or temperature such as ice creams, shakes, smoothies, and certain perishable items, will not be eligible for Food Rescue.
   
• Delivery partners will be compensated fully for the entire trip, from the initial pickup to the final drop-off at the new customer's location.

Netizens laud the move

The move was lauded by the netizens who applauded Goyal and Zomatao for addressing the issue of food wastage.

"At a staggering 4 lakh orders a month that get cancelled and potentially wasted, Food Rescue is a functionality worth building. Great initiative @deepigoyal," said one user, while another added: "This such an innovative idea. Much needed"

Some users, however, remained cautious about the rollout of the initiative and said they hoped that the system would not be gained by some customers or the restaurants.

"People will start looking for deals instead of ordering full-priced foods. Have to wait and see how it materializes," commented another user.