Surge in Consumer Complaints Against Online Food Delivery Apps

Over the last five fiscal years, more than 21,000 grievances have been lodged against online food delivery apps with the FSSAI. These complaints mainly pertain to food safety and mislabeling issues, and FSSAI has responded by canceling licenses and imposing penalties to enhance food safety compliance.

In a significant development, over 21,000 consumer grievances have been registered against online food delivery apps, revealed Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs BL Verma. These complaints, lodged over the last five fiscal years, have prompted the food regulator FSSAI to take stringent actions.

Addressing the Rajya Sabha, Verma detailed that the FSSAI conducts regular checks, including surveillance, monitoring, and random sampling, on food products sold via e-commerce platforms. The grievance count includes 7,482 in 2024-25 and 4,708 in 2023-24, culminating in a steady rise in reported issues.

The FSSAI's response to these complaints has been vigorous, with 502 licenses canceled and 316 suspended in 2023-24. Penalties amounting to Rs 74.12 have been imposed. The FSSAI handles these complaints through its Food Safety Connect Portal as part of their online compliance system, FoSCoS, ensuring a robust consumer protection mechanism.

(With inputs from agencies.)