Shantanu Deshpande, CEO of Bombay Shaving Firm, has raised an alarm about India’s rising habit to fast meals supply, calling it a well being epidemic within the making.
In a strongly-worded LinkedIn publish, Deshpande criticized the reliance on processed and ultra-processed meals that dominate the menus of supply platforms, typically filled with palm oil and sugar.
“Our junk meals habit, fueled by ₹49 pizzas, ₹20 vitality drinks, and ₹30 burgers, is steering us down the trail of the US and China—with out the financial security web for healthcare,” Deshpande wrote, urging meals supply giants like Zomato, Swiggy, and Zepto to rethink their strategy.
“Zomato and Swiggy and Zepto – please, do not. And in case you are so eager, please make the product palatable. I might love if we innovate and are capable of truly give non-stale and respectable meals in 10 min. Huge unlock. However I do not assume we’re near there but”.
Deshpande shared his shock on the business’s race to ship meals in file time.
“Prepare dinner time: 2 minutes. Supply time: 8 minutes. A ‘qcom for meals’ founder informed me this, and I misplaced my thoughts,” he wrote. The CEO additionally slammed using frozen substances dressed as much as seem contemporary, transported by supply riders rushing by site visitors to satisfy unrealistic timelines.
The startup founder argued that India’s obsession with comfort meals poses a critical menace to long-term public well being. “The intestine is the epicenter of your existence. YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT,” he warned.
Deshpande directed his message not solely at companies and buyers but additionally at regulators and customers. He known as on regulators to make sure higher oversight of meals high quality, even throughout the 10-minute supply framework.
To customers, his recommendation was easy: cook dinner. “Nobody is simply too busy to spend 10 minutes making dal chawal, a smoothie, a salad, or a sandwich. It’s an grownup ability. Study it,” he urged, cautioning that reliance on fast meals might result in critical long-term well being points.
Deshpande’s publish struck a chord with many on social media. Whereas some echoed his issues, others recommended regulatory reforms to separate meals preparation time from supply time to make sure high quality.
