For Delivering non-vegetarian food in vegetarian orders fined Zomato, McDonald’s by ₹1 lakh

The District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum of Jodhpur has fined online food delivery service Zomato and fast food giant McDonald’s a total of Rs. 1 lakh for delivering non-vegetarian food over a vegetarian meal order to the consumer of the wrong food parcel.

The consumer has received a ₹5,000 reward to cover their legal costs. Zomato and McDonald’s will split the expense of the legal action as well as the fine.

According to news outlet PTI, the District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum (II) Jodhpur has fined Zomato and McDonald’s, the restaurant partner whose food was delivered through it, 1 lakh for under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and granted 5,000 as cost of litigation.

“Both monetary penalty and cost of litigation are to be borne jointly and severally by Zomato and McDonald’s,” it said the statement.

An individual who ordered from McDonald’s is the subject of the case. The consumer realized they had received a non-vegetarian package instead of the vegetarian foods they had purchased after the Zomato delivery service had fulfilled their order.

At the same time, Zomato stated that it “is in the process of filing an appeal against the said order and based on the advice from its external counsels, Zomato believes it has a good case on merits.”

According to Zomato’s filing, their terms of service state that the food delivery platform is only a middleman for the sale of food and that the restaurant partner is in charge of any issues with service, incorrect order delivery or order inconsistency, and quality.

The company added that the order has no significant financial, operational, or other effects on it. “The order failed to appreciate the distinction in responsibility and imposed a joint and several monetary penalty on Zomato and McDonald’s under the relevant provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019,” the company stated.