Punjab girl dies after eating birthday cake: Netizens slam food delivery platform, restaurant gets delisted

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While most people look forward to their birthdays, a happy day turned tragic for a Punjab family when a 10-year-old girl reportedly died after eating her birthday cake ordered online in Patiala. The incident came to light after a case was registered by the family. Now, online food delivery platform Zomato said it has delisted the restaurant from its platform as well as debarred its owner.

It came after facing heavy criticism on social media. The company said they are "heartbroken and deeply shaken up by the recent tragic incident that happened in Patiala".

"As soon as we learnt about the incident, which is now under police investigation, we immediately delisted the restaurant from the Zomato platform. We have also debarred the restaurant owner from operating any entity on Zomato," a company spokesperson told IANS.

"We are extending our complete support to the law enforcement agencies in the matter," the spokesperson added

Earlier, netizens slammed online food delivery platforms for poor regulation over cloud kitchens listed as food-delivering apps.

The police said on Saturday that a case under Sections 273 and 304-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered following a complaint lodged by the girl's family members, alleging that the girl died after consuming the birthday cake. Other family members also fell ill after consuming the cake.

As per the bill copy of the cake, which was ordered by the deceased girl's mother Kajal, there is no shop named ‘Cake Kanha' at the registered address in Patiala.

The police suspect that the bakery is a cloud kitchen. Additionally, another receipt invoice of Zomato shows billing done from Amritsar, not Patiala.

Dr Nandita Iyer, a seasoned food and nutrition columnist, posted on X that Swiggy and Zomato should clearly highlight on each listing whether it is a cloud kitchen so people are aware of it before ordering.

"Such incidents are a harsh reminder that we have no idea what goes into the food we order from these completely unregulated places," Iyer wrote on the social media platform.

Fitness professional Chirag Barjatya said that food safety is a joke.

"You will be surprised to know that people are running 20 different ‘restaurants' in 1RK (room kitchen) as cloud kitchens listed over food-delivering apps. You have no idea how many mice and cockroaches were around the food you just ordered. And you have absolutely no idea if the cooked dal or rice you ordered has expired," Barjatya posted on X.

(With inputs from IANS)