Mumbai: Food delivery giant Zomato faced immense backlash on social media for its introduction of “pure veg mode” and “pure veg fleet” for customers who have a vegetarian dietary preference. 

Zomato’s CEO, Deepinder Goyal, unveiled the new modes to cater to India’s vegetarian population, but the move triggered criticism due to the distinctive green uniform worn by pure veg fleet delivery personnel.

Despite the backlash, the pure veg fleet will continue using green delivery boxes ensuring exclusive delivery from vegetarian restaurants. Goyal was even seen stepping out "to deliver some pure veg orders" in a photo he shared on X (formerly Twitter).

Moving forward, Zomato plans to introduce more specialized fleets, such as a “cake fleet”, equipped with hydraulic balancers to prevent cake damage during delivery.

Meanwhile, Zomato's shares actually rose despite the controversy; the Zomato stock on Wednesday is currently priced at Rs 159.75, representing a 1.11% increase, and the net change in the stock price is 1.75.

Shares of online food delivery firm Zomato Ltd have surged 60% in the last six months and the stock is trading in a bull zone, according to analysts. At some point, the price of the stock could reach Rs 265 if the current leg of the rally continues.

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