The race for 10-minute delivery is reshaping the quick commerce industry in India. Once a simple convenience, food and grocery deliveries have now become a battleground for speed. Giants like Swiggy, Zomato, and Zepto are fighting for dominance. They promise the near-impossible: meals, groceries, and more delivered to your doorstep in just 10 minutes.
While this sounds like a revolutionary leap in convenience, it raises significant concerns: the safety of delivery personnel, public health risks, and even ethical questions about prioritising speed over well-being.
At what cost are we indulging in this luxury of instant gratification?
Quick commerce wars: Swiggy, Zomato, and Zepto compete
The 10-minute delivery phenomenon has engulfed India’s quick commerce industry.
Swiggy has launched Bolt, its 10-minute food delivery service, partnering with over 40,000 restaurants and offering nearly 10 lakh items to pick from. Not far behind, Zomato’s quick-commerce arm, Blinkit, recently rolled out Bistro, promising snacks, meals, and beverages at your doorstep in 10 minutes. Oh, and the timing? Blinkit’s Bistro was launched just a day after Zepto unveiled its Zepto Cafe. At this rate, don’t be surprised if tomorrow’s newspaper features yet another rapid food delivery platform.
The rise of instant delivery is due to its promise to make life easier, especially in fast-paced urban areas. However, it also makes a big profit. Zepto’s Café already receives 30,000 daily orders, while Swiggy revealed that 5% of its orders come from Bolt, which focuses on quick-to-prepare meals. Both Zomato’s CEO, Deepinder Goyal, and Swiggy’s CEO, Sriharsha Majety, call the 10-minute delivery sector the “next growth frontier.”
According to Statista, India’s online food delivery market is expected to hit $43.78 billion in 2024 and grow at 15.61% annually, reaching $90.43 billion by 2029. Meanwhile, in the grocery delivery sector, revenues are expected to jump 30.7% in 2025, hitting $30.65 billion by the end of 2024.
10-minute delivery saga: The pressure on delivery personnel
The 10-minute delivery promise sounds great on paper, but a lot can go wrong when consumers start expecting it as the norm.
Think about it.
It would take more than 10 minutes to walk to the nearest grocery store, pick up items, pay, and return. Now imagine the burden this places on the already overworked delivery agents and gig workers.
The company’s culture requires them to complete a certain number of deliveries each day to earn bonuses, forcing them to operate under immense pressure. The result? Stress, exhaustion, and an increased risk of accidents. Convenience for customers shouldn’t come at the cost of someone else’s well-being.
Authorities in cities like Kochi report an average of five accidents a week caused by the reckless driving of food delivery agents. The situation isn’t much better elsewhere. Chennai alone recorded nearly 8,500 traffic violations by e-commerce delivery executives this year. The pressure to meet impossible delivery timelines often turns roads into racetracks, with little regard for traffic rules. And it’s not just their lives at risk. Pedestrians, fellow drivers, and anyone in their path face the consequences, too.
Is your 10-minute meal truly healthy?
Shantanu Deshpande, Founder and CEO of Bombay Shaving Company, has raised serious concerns about the rapid growth of India’s quick food delivery industry and its negative impact on public health. On LinkedIn, he pointed out what he sees as the “biggest epidemic”: poor nutrition caused by the rise of unhealthy, processed foods that are high in palm oil and sugar.
Deshpande also criticised the practices of food delivery platforms, highlighting how meals often consist of frozen purees, old vegetables, and curries that are reheated and garnished to look fresh before being rushed to your door. Furthermore, he expressed his shock after hearing about the extreme preparation timelines from a quick-commerce founder: “Cook time 2 min, delivery time 8 min.” This, he argued, is the unrealistic and rushed nature of the quick-commerce food model.
The fast-paced approach also contributes to the growing addiction to junk food. That is because cheap, unhealthy options like pizzas, energy drinks, and burgers see a constant growth in consumption. While the convenience of quick deliveries is tempting, it is essential to focus on the quality of the food being delivered.
The ethics of 10-minute delivery
The rise of 10-minute delivery also brings ethical questions to the forefront. Is this model truly inclusive, or is it exploitative? Investors and founders must redefine inclusivity to account for the well-being of delivery personnel, the nutritional value of food, and the impact on society.
Inclusion must extend beyond profits to encompass healthier food options, better working conditions, and more sustainable delivery timelines. Convenience can no longer come at the expense of people’s safety and dignity.
So, let’s change the narrative. Deliver better, not faster.
The final thoughts
The cost of a “quick delivery” is starting to look dangerously high. As the demand for rapid deliveries intensifies, so does the pressure on those on the frontlines. It is leading to exhaustion, stress, and dangerous driving habits. As an industry, we need to take a step back. We need to reconsider how this hyper-focus on speed impacts the people behind the scenes and the consumers. There is room for a smarter, more sustainable approach that balances speed with responsibility.
At Changeincontent, we believe that innovation must serve humanity, not endanger it. Convenience and ethics can coexist, but only if companies prioritise people over profits.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are based on the writer’s insights, supported by data and resources available both online and offline, as applicable. Changeincontent.com is committed to promoting inclusivity across all forms of content, which we define broadly to include media, policies, law, and history—encompassing all elements that influence the lives of women and gender-queer individuals. Our goal is to promote understanding and advocate for comprehensive inclusivity.
