"Shifting Responsibility to Riders?"... Coupang Eats Halts 'Rider Menu Check' After Just One Day

Coupang Eats, which had introduced a feature requiring delivery riders to check the ordered menu, discontinued the feature after just one day.

According to the industry on April 28, Coupang Eats implemented a function in the rider-exclusive application the previous day, allowing riders to check the composition and quantity of the ordered menu items before picking up the delivery food. This was intended to have riders verify the orders in advance to prevent issues such as missing menu items during the delivery process.

원본보기 아이콘

However, there was backlash against this feature, with criticism that it shifted responsibility onto the riders. Some riders reportedly filed complaints with the e-People portal and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, claiming that this function could potentially violate the Food Sanitation Act.

Negative reactions also dominated the rider community, with comments such as "This is just passing the responsibility onto the riders" and "If riders open packaged food to check it, there will be hygiene issues."

In response, Coupang Eats explained that they only recommended riders check the food within the range that could be visually inspected at pickup, and that there were no related penalties. The company added that the feature was tested only at select local stores and has now been discontinued.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.