Food through Quick e-Commerce Deliveries 'Sceptical', say Experts & Brands

Quick commerce might be shaping the Indian consumer market lately, but does it have to include food items is the question that is simmering across the country by experts, critics and doctors since the industry giants have been in the race to announce their quick-commerce verticals.

After Zomato's Blinkit and Swiggy's Instamart made their precarious mark in the market, other giants like Myntra and recently even Amazon announced their quick-delivery services for groceries. Very recently, Blinkit's announcement of ambulances in 30 minutes grabbed the market's attention dividing critics into two groups over its support. According to a report by services firm Chryseum, the quick commerce industry in India has seen a surge of more than 280 per cent in the last two years. However, the ‘quick-deliveries’ by Zomato’s Bistro, Swiggy Bolt, and Zepto Cafe and their promises to deliver the food in a matter of minutes have caught the attention of critics and citizens alike.

While Aditi Prabhu, the Clinical Sports Dietician and Nutrigenomics Counsellor does not deny the "convenience aspect", talking to Local Samosa, she highlights scathing facts. "Such quick deliveries are likely to lead to handling and storage issues like lack of space, poor hygiene, temperature fluctuations during storage, and cross-contamination. The problems can accelate in the case of under-trained and unskilled staff leading to undercooked meals or inadequate quality checks," she says adding that quick commerce will also mean more single-use plastics, and non-biodegradable packaging which in turn will impact the environment. 

What is behind 10,20,30 minutes?

However, the biggest concern highlighted by Prabhu is the safety of food and health. She shares, "To make a quick delivery under 30 mins, the delivery personnel will have to depend on frozen, ready to eat, pre-made foods which would mean more carbs loaded, high fat, low in nutrients and ultra-processed foods. For a country that is leading in diabetes, CVD, hypertension, obesity, and other health issues, this is concerning." On the other hand, the Mumbai-based dietician mentions that the pressure of delivering the food in the short window is going to mean "more broken laws, rash driving, accidents and more". A danger to both public and delivery personnel lives, she says, and considering all the factors, it is not worth it.

As far as the Indian food culture is concerned, the sub-continent has been, traditionally depended on and relished homecooked and fresh food. That seems to now have been changing with the fast-paced lives making such business supplies to cater to the demand of convenience and quickness. Opening on the same, Prabhu says, "Change is already on the rise with long working hours, erratic schedules, and youngsters living away from families for work. India is already, gradually, moving in the direction of convenience over seasonal and local foods or home-cooked meals. But this convenience comes at a cost; with a rise in health issues owing to the consumption of ultra-processed, high-calorie, less nutritious foods. This disconnect from seasonal and local produce, thus, in turn, impacts the low economy." She cautions, "In the world of instant gratification, this quick commerce trend is just going to amplify it further."

Desi Nutri, which is also available on BigBasket, also believes that delivering products through quick commerce becomes a challenge for the brand when they do not want to compromise on the quality of the food. "In terms of cooked food to supply faster, then we have to use more processed and semi-cooked portions which may sometimes compromise on the freshness and nutrition," says Mohan Kadimpalli, Head of Strategy at Desi Nutri, which offers millet-based packaged food products. Adding to it, he says, "The availability of fast-moving fresh products with shelf life is important. As we also don't use additives the Shelf life is a big challenge."

To meet the challenges, however, Kadimpalli states, that the brand makes the products in "reasonable quantities through seasonality and demand". "For us, speed complements quality, not compromises it. By focusing on process excellence, we ensure safe, nutritious food reaches customers swiftly, reinforcing our commitment to everyday health while meeting the evolving demands of quick-commerce platforms," he further adds. 

Favouring capitalistic move: The other side

Unlike Kaimpalli, who suspects the unsafe practices due to quick-commerce delivery, Prem K Viswanath from Chutnefy & Simplify Foods shows rebuttal and states that it has opened a "whole new avenue to reaching consumers", highlighting the positives. He says, "The structured way in which the model operates has started helping us in forecasting production and inventory better, as well as planning marketing budgets more efficiently and diversely." 

Talking about the safety of the food, he puts the onus on the quick delivery platforms for the safety practices. "Products like ours are packed taking all precautions and measures to ensure that they can stay safe in most types of standard storage conditions, and are thereby 100% safe for consumption within the stipulated period. The platforms (quick delivery platforms) have their measures as well in not taking up products over a certain % period to expiry, so in most cases (barring the odd occurrence probably), one should be assured about the safety of the product, Viswanath says.

However, on being asked precisely about the 10-minute delivery of food, he couldn't prevent from saying, "There is definitely scepticism around the age of the foods, storage conditions and compromises being made with regards to the new phenomenon of such a delivery." He emphasises the common concerns around it, which are majorly about whether the brands sending reheated/microwaved frozen foods. "If the platforms invest in awareness and transparency, those concerns could be alleviated," Viswanath adds.

Putting similar thoughts ahead, Nikhil Kamath, the National Co-ordinator of The Climate Project Foundation and an author specialising in the genre of food, does not have qualms with the quick deliveries and says that the generations are moving towards processed food making such as the advent of quick deliveries "fine". "An entire generation has grown up on these processed foods just fine. All the fast food chains have semi-cooked ingredients that they then re-fry and serve. While it might not be the best for you, people usually eat such food once in a while, so, it is fine," Kamath says.

Owing to the fast-paced lives, Kamath opines, food products like Poha, Upma, Dal & Rice and many more food options become easy to use. When asked about the cultural change, Kamath says, "The processed foods have already been in existence for so many years already and the trends have already changed preferences with so many ready-to-cook foods available in the market." Contradicting, he reiterates, "These are not advisable for every day every meal consumption because of the preservatives that go into them."

But will it change the preferences of Indian consumers towards freshly cooked food? "There is nothing to worry about it as it will not change the fondness for freshly made foods in India," he adds. Be that as it may, the safety of food available through quick delivery is being highlighted as sanctimonious by brands and doctors alike as they seem to be in the state of limbo when it comes to safety. Undoubtedly, caution seems to be necessary so that the 10-minute delivery of food does not lead to calling the 10-minute quick ambulance services.