2024-12-15 15:54:55 :
Shantanu Deshpande, founder and CEO of men’s grooming brand Bombay Shaving Company, expresses concerns about India’s fast food delivery industry
In a post on Linkedin on Sunday, Deshpande stressed that the country has been suffering from the “biggest epidemic” of malnutrition and unhealthy processed and ultra-processed foods high in palm oil and sugar, and urged food delivery platforms to make the products tasty. .
“Frozen purees, curries and old vegetables are heated and garnished with dhaniya to look fresh and then slammed into some two-wheelers that ride to your doorstep like Mad Max in 10 minutes because you can’t Wait another 15 minutes or you’re too lazy,” said the chef at Daal Chawal.
In his post, Deshpande cited a conversation with another founder of food brand Quick Commerce and expressed his shock at the cooking and delivery time involved in the process.
“Cooking time is 2 minutes and delivery time is 8 minutes. A FoodQualcom founder told me this and I lost my mind,” Deshpande said in a LinkedIn post.
Beyond the big picture, Deshpande also focused on the direction this approach is taking, which is to steer India into becoming another United States or China without adequate economic support.
Deshpande said in his post: “Our addiction to junk food, fueled by Rs 49 pizzas, Rs 20 toxic energy drinks and Rs 30 burgers, is taking us down the path of China and the US , without the financial security needed for health.”
Shantanu Deshpande also warned investors and founders about the issue and directed them to ensure that the food is “palatable”.
“All investors and founders are already looking for fancy words to take this to the next wave of commerce in India. Zomato, Swiggy and Zepto – please, don’t. If you are so passionate about it, make the product Delicious,” Deshpande said.
The founder and CEO also issued the post to the public and regulators to keep an eye on the issue. He also suggested people cook their own meals instead of ordering 10-minute food delivery.
“I would be happy if we could innovate and be able to actually serve decent food that’s not stale and decent in 10 minutes. Massive unlocking. But I don’t think we’re close to that yet. Regulators – please keep an eye on that,” he said. “Most importantly, everyone else – please cook. It’s an adult skill. No one is too busy to take 10 minutes to make a decent dal chawal, smoothie, salad or sandwich.”
Advising people to cook their own meals, Deshpande also stressed that ordering food from outside “can cause some serious long-term health problems if not controlled”.
“The gut is the center of your being. You are what you eat,” he said in the post.
Netizen reaction
Deshpande’s concerns were echoed by people on social media, who agreed with the problems facing India’s fast commercial food delivery market. Some agreed with the founders, while others cited the extreme step of deleting food delivery apps from their phones rather than exercising control.
“This is a very valid and simple point that needs to be echoed by Shantanu Deshpande. We have all been fooled by the mask of convenience. I remember my grandmother once said something like “Jaldi ka kaam shaitan ka hota hai” and I couldn’t agree more. Convenience Food = bad health,” said Shreshtha Gupta, business strategy consultant at Accenture, in response to the post.
Others like Jaikishan Bhatia, manager of Cipla, said: “We need a regulatory body, maybe under the Ministry of Health, to monitor food quality. Fast delivery is not the issue, the issue is compromised food quality. Let them deliver within 10 minutes up, but ensure that the preparation of the food itself takes enough time to separate “preparation time” from “delivery time” so these startups can still chase their 10’s without compromising public health. Minute delivery is a dream. After all, if they only care about speed, then we make sure the food they serve is at least worth eating.”
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