Zepto Nova - Food Safety Innovation Challenge

The Zepto Nova - Food Safety Innovation Challenge addresses the crucial need for advanced food safety solutions within India's rapidly expanding quick commerce ecosystem. As speed and scale become paramount, traditional compliance methods are insufficient, with human errors in inventory checks, expiry validation, and product handling posing significant risks to both consumers and businesses. This challenge, a collaborative effort by Zepto, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), seeks to harness the power of artificial intelligence, automation, and other cutting-edge technologies. The goal is to minimize human error, enable real-time monitoring, and establish intelligent, self-correcting supply chains, thereby ensuring that every product delivered to the customer is safe, fresh, and fully compliant with food safety standards. Innovators are encouraged to reimagine food safety practices in critical areas like mother hubs and delivery hubs, contributing to a more resilient and trustworthy quick commerce infrastructure.

The challenge is structured around three key problem statements designed to elicit innovative solutions. These include developing AI-powered systems for precise expiry detection and validation to eliminate manual entry errors, creating intelligent monitoring systems with AI-enabled surveillance and IoT sensors for hygiene and contamination risks, and designing automated quality control mechanisms for fresh produce and perishables using computer vision. Beyond these specific themes, Zepto welcomes any scalable, technology-driven solution that enhances food safety, traceability, and operational excellence within the quick commerce supply chain.