How safe is your food? Inside Bengaluru's cloud kitchens

A Bengaluru resident recently discovered a live worm in a meal ordered from FreshMenu, a popular cloud kitchen that promotes healthy meals on food delivery platforms. The incident, captured in a now-viral video, shows the customer inspecting three boxes he ordered via Zomato. Upon finding a worm in one of the boxes, the customer chose not to open the other boxes and requested Zomato to investigate the matter. 

FreshMenu called it a “manual error,” and assured the customer of disciplinary action against those responsible.

But who is responsible? In Bengaluru, where cloud kitchens mushroomed during the pandemic, the lack of regulation and oversight has become a serious problem. Customers are left wondering: Who’s making my food? Is it being prepared in a clean environment? If something goes wrong, who is accountable? 

Cloud kitchens, also known as ghost or dark kitchens, are unlike conventional food establishments like restaurants. They do not receive customers, are cheap to run, don’t need a physical dining space, and rely entirely on food delivery apps like Swiggy and Zomato. While they have made ordering food more convenient, there is growing unease over the safety and hygiene of these kitchens.

To understand the reality of cloud kitchens, TNM visited four such establishments in Bengaluru and spoke to multiple delivery partners, food safety experts, and officials. What we found was deeply concerning. 

At one location on BEL road, food was prepared next to an uncovered waste bin, and staff wore no gloves or hairnets, creating a high risk of contamination. In a kitchen near Yelahanka, staff handled raw food, including meat, with bare hands in a poorly maintained environment, violating basic food safety norms.