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Illegal Items Sold on Zomato: Platform Faces Tough Questions Illegal items sold on Zomato Zomato, one of India’s largest food delivery platforms, is under fire. Some restaurants reportedly sold illegal items on the platform under fake names. The issue gained attention when users flagged suspicious listings. This has raised concerns about how such listings bypassed Zomato’s checks. The platform handles millions of orders every day, making the revelation alarming. Users on Reddit first noticed the issue. Restaurants in Chandigarh listed single items with odd names, such as “Naughty Strawberry,” priced at ₹999. These listings triggered doubts about their authenticity. Many users believed these names were codes for prohibited items. A restaurant named “Desi Chinese” sold just one such dish. Zomato investigated and found that its platform was being misused. The company admitted these restaurants listed prohibited items disguised as food. This incident has exposed gaps in the platform’s system. How Zomato Handled the Issue Zomato acted quickly after the allegations. The company removed all the suspicious restaurants. It also reviewed other listings with limited menus. Restaurants listing prohibited items were removed from the platform. In a statement, Zomato explained its actions. The company said all restaurants must have a valid FSSAI license. Despite this, some operators used generic food names to bypass checks. These loopholes allowed illegal items sold on Zomato. To address the issue, Zomato has improved its fraud detection tools. It has also updated its policies to block such incidents in the future. The platform says it is now more vigilant about unusual listings. However, concerns remain about whether these steps are enough.