Bengaluru Man Finds Live Worm in Salad Ordered via Zomato, Video Goes Viral

Bengaluru: A Bengaluru man found a live worm in a salad he ordered online from FreshMenu through Zomato . Sharing his experience on Instagram, he posted a video showing the worm crawling in the salad bowl. The man, identified as Pratik, also displayed his bill for four items but noted that only three were delivered. "After seeing this, I don’t even want to open the other two," he remarked in the video, urging Zomato to investigate the matter.

Pratik, a fitness enthusiast, expressed his disgust and insecurity after the incident. 

Speaking to RepublicWorld, he said, "I am just feeling disgusting and very much insecure to eat outside now, especially salads. Most of the people in the fitness community order these kinds of salad bowls while travelling to fulfill our daily nutritional requirements, but this incident raised a big question mark on so-called 'healthy salad bowls' that we are getting online."

Viral Video: Live Worm Found In Zomato Meal

A viral video shared by Instagram user @fitnesskapratik shows a Bengaluru man discovering a live worm in his salad. He explains that he ordered a meal from Fresh Menu through Zomato, but received only three items instead of four. Upon inspecting the salad, he found the worm crawling inside. In the video, the man states, "After seeing this, I don't want to open the other two." He calls on Zomato to investigate the incident.

The video rapidly gained attention online, as the man shared a cautionary message about ordering food from outside. In his post, he wrote, “#fitness #healthyfood #fssaiindia #zomato #food #homefood #gym. After a long time, I decided to try food from outside, and this happened. Please, everyone, avoid outside food whenever possible. If you have no choice, make sure to check it thoroughly before eating.” He tagged Bengaluru as the location.

FreshMenu Responses to Incident 

FreshMenu quickly addressed the incident and issued an apology to the customer. In their statement, the company said, "Pratik, we sincerely apologize for the incident involving your recent order from FreshMenu. Discovering a live worm in your salad is entirely unacceptable, and we deeply regret this failure on our part. Upon learning of the issue, our team took immediate action. Our representatives personally visited you to understand your concerns and convey our apologies directly. We have since identified the gap in our processes and have taken strict disciplinary measures against those responsible to ensure this does not happen again. Additionally, we have implemented enhanced training and stricter quality checks across all our kitchens."

The incident triggered a surge of online responses, with many sharing their own bad experiences with Fresh Menu. One user remarked, "I stopped ordering from Fresh Menu after finding a plastic piece once and receiving stale food another time. Never again." Another quipped, "Fresh from the garden," while others recounted falling ill after eating from the cloud kitchen. Many also advocated for home-cooked meals as a safer alternative.