Zomato Introduces Zero-Tolerance Policy on Analogue Dairy Dish

Food delivery platform Zomato has introduced a zero-tolerance policy for dishes containing analogue dairy products listed on its platform, with immediate delisting of menu items that restaurant partners have identified as containing such ingredients.

Under the policy, restaurants have been asked to replace analogue dairy ingredients with conventional dairy products or remove the affected dishes from their Zomato menus. The company has also said it reserves the right to delist restaurants that fail to comply with the policy.

Zomato said dishes that have already been declared by restaurant partners as containing analogue dairy have been removed from the platform with immediate effect. The company can also remove other listings subsequently found to violate the policy.

Restaurants have been asked to verify supplier labels and ingredient information and ensure that the products being used in their kitchens correspond with how those ingredients are represented to customers on the platform.

Analogue dairy products are formulations designed to replicate the taste, texture or functional properties of conventional dairy products such as paneer, cheese, butter and milk. Depending on the product, they can use ingredients such as vegetable fats, starches, plant proteins, emulsifiers and other food components instead of, or alongside, conventional dairy ingredients.

The policy therefore focuses on how such ingredients are represented in dishes sold through the platform, particularly where customers may expect a conventional dairy ingredient based on the menu description.

Aditya Mangla, CEO of Eternal’s Food Ordering and Delivery business, said the company’s focus on food quality extends to safeguarding customers and maintaining clear standards around what restaurants list and serve. Eternal is the parent company of Zomato.

The move gives restaurant partners responsibility for reviewing the ingredients used in dishes described as containing paneer, cheese or other dairy products and ensuring that their menu information accurately reflects what is served.

The announcement comes at a time of increased regulatory scrutiny of food safety and hygiene across India’s online food and quick-commerce ecosystem.

Earlier in August, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration conducted a statewide inspection drive covering 86 establishments involved in the storage, sale and delivery of food through online platforms. The inspections resulted in 60 improvement notices, 14 food-business licence suspensions and an order for one establishment to temporarily stop operations. No licence was cancelled during the drive.

Of the 14 suspended licences, 5 were linked to Blinkit establishments, 5 to Zepto and 2 to Swiggy Instamart. The remaining 2 were associated with Bhagwati Store and Swinsta ENT Pvt Ltd.

The Maharashtra inspections found several food-safety and hygiene deficiencies, including pest infestations, expired food products, inadequate storage, temperature-control problems, poor cleanliness and shortcomings in food-handler records and other compliance requirements.

At some establishments, inspectors reported more specific issues. These included cockroach infestations, expired packaged food, improper storage and temperature-control failures at certain Blinkit facilities, while some Zepto locations were flagged for temperature violations and inadequate segregation of food products from chemicals. Instamart facilities were also cited for issues including rodent droppings, pest-control deficiencies and congested storage.

Zomato’s analogue-dairy policy is separate from the Maharashtra FDA inspection action, but both developments come amid greater attention to food quality, ingredient transparency, hygiene and accountability across digital food and grocery platforms.

For restaurants listed on Zomato, the new policy means that dishes using analogue versions of dairy ingredients will need to be reviewed. Restaurants can either replace those ingredients with conventional dairy products or remove the affected dishes from the platform.

The policy also places greater emphasis on accurate menu information, requiring restaurant partners to ensure that the ingredients represented to customers match the products actually used in preparing the food.