Why is Zomato’s Pure Veg Service Being Criticised as Casteist?

Context

Zomato  has announced a special scheme to ensure “pure veg” food is not mixed up with impure pollutants before delivery. 

Zomato Faces Social Media Backlash for ‘Pure Veg Service’ Dress Code

• Colour coded Segregation: 

  • Zomato’s original idea of a new ‘Pure Veg’ mode came with colour-coded segregation featuring only vegetarian restaurants. 

• Dedicated Pure Veg Fleet: 

  • A dedicated Pure Veg Fleet, identifiable by their green uniforms, will exclusively handle orders to ensure no non-vegetarian meals are delivered in their green boxes.

• Decision Modified: 

  • Decision was modified stating that a vegetarian fleet will be maintained but they won’t be segregated  with green uniforms.

Significance of this Segregation

• Ensure Customer Satisfaction: 

• • Response to the specific preferences of Indian vegetarians regarding food handling and preparation. 

• Better Delivery of Orders: 

  • To address potential odour transfer between orders due to spills in delivery boxes, it was necessary to segregate the fleet for vegetarian orders.

Criticisms of the Decision

• May Lead to Further Segregation and Discrimination: 

  • This move can perpetuate social divisions.
    • Further, this may lead to demand for a “halal only” fleet for exclusively halal food.

• Linked to Virtues: 

  • Often Vegetarian food is linked with virtue of purity (saatvik) and those eating meat are seen as impure (tamsik). 

• Linkages with Caste: 

  • Meat eating is popularly linked with “lower” castes, and particular religions.

• Echoes Untouchability: 

  • The author argues that demanding “pure vegetarian” food extends beyond dietary preference, echoing historical practice of untouchability.
    • Example– Meat eaters are frequently denied houses.

• Exploiting Societal Fault for Profit Motive: 

  • The “pure veg” scheme is portrayed as exploiting societal fault lines for profit rather than promoting social cohesion and inclusivity.

• Effort of the Reformers to Ban Untouchability: 

  • Social reformers over the centuries have tried to loosen the shackles of caste by organising communal eat-togethers.
    • For instance, B R Ambedkar led the Mahad Satyagraha, to ensure “untouchables” could use water from a public tank in Maharashtra’s Mahad.