The body of distributors reports the use of private vehicles by e-commerce and fast-commerce players

The AICPDF has written to the Department of Road Transport and the Department of Health to request an investigation into the use of private vehicles by these companies for commercial deliveries.

In its complaint to the Ministry of Road Transport, the Federation said the use of private vehicles raises significant safety concerns.

In August he wrote to the Department of Trade and Industry to request an investigation into the rapid growth of rapid trade.

The All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF), which represents distributors of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), has raised concerns over the delivery practices of fast-moving consumer goods and e-commerce players in India.

The AICPDF has written to the Ministry of Road Transport and the Ministry of Health to request an investigation into the use of private vehicles by these companies for commercial deliveries, Business Standard reported.

The Federation pointed out that many fast-food and e-commerce companies frequently rely on private vehicles for food deliveries, which is a violation of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines.

“These standards are essential to preventing contamination and ensuring that consumers receive safe and hygienically handled food. However, the widespread use of private two-wheelers by delivery personnel raises concerns about the suitability of these vehicles to maintain the required food safety standards,” the AICPDF said in its letter to the Ministry of Health .

In its complaint filed with the Ministry of Road Transport, the Federation said the use of private vehicles raises significant safety concerns. He said these vehicles may not be adequately insured or maintained to meet the standards required for commercial operations.

However, this is not the first time the AICPDF has expressed concerns about the speed of trade. In August, she wrote to the Department of Trade and Industry to request an investigation into the rapid growth of rapid trade.

Raising concerns over compliance of fast-trading companies with the country’s FDI norms, he urged Union Minister Piyush Goyal to regulate fast-trading players to protect small retailers .

Following this, the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) referred the complaint to the Competition Commission of India.

While the e-commerce sector has seen tremendous growth over the last decade in the country, fast commerce has seen increasing popularity over the last 2-3 years, especially in metro cities. This has opposed e-commerce players like Amazon and Meesho against fast commerce players like Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart and Zepto.

However, these two sectors also face increasing regulatory scrutiny. As fast-trading companies face criticism for failing to comply with rules requiring display of expiration and expiry datese-commerce players likely to face heat flouting dark pattern regulations.