Over 21,000 Consumer Grievances Filed Against Online Food Delivery Apps in Five Years

More than 21,000 consumer grievances related to online food delivery apps have been registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) over the past five fiscal years. Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs BL Verma provided this information in a written response to the Rajya Sabha.

"FSSAI undertakes regular surveillance, monitoring, inspection, and random sampling of food products from manufacturers, sellers, hotels, and restaurants, including those sold online through e-commerce platforms, throughout the year," Verma stated.

According to official data, a total of 21,042 complaints were recorded with FSSAI in the last five years. The number of grievances has risen steadily, with 7,482 cases registered in 2024-25, compared to 4,708 in 2023-24, 4,321 in 2022-23, 3,726 in 2021-22, and 805 in 2020-21.

In 2023-24, FSSAI took regulatory action by canceling 502 licenses and suspending 316 licenses. Additionally, penalties amounting to Rs 74.12 crore were imposed.

The minister emphasized FSSAI’s structured approach to handling consumer complaints. "The complaints of consumers received in FSSAI are mainly related to various food safety issues, including adulterated food, unsafe food, substandard food, labeling defects, and misleading claims and advertisements. These complaints are received through multiple channels, such as the web portal, mobile app, FSSAI helpline, Twitter, and Facebook, and are integrated into a single portal—the Food Safety Connect Portal, which is part of the online Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS)," Verma explained.