A viral Instagram video has sparked debate online after a man threw away a kadhai full of home-cooked chicken curry into his kitchen dustbin. The reason? According to Nikhil Choudhary, the Licious chicken delivered by Zepto was allegedly past its expiry date and "foul-smelling." In the clip, Nikhil shows two empty packets of packaged chicken. He explains that he cleaned the raw meat and cooked it into a rich curry, using several other ingredients and investing 2-3 hours. However, after tasting the dish, he realised something was wrong. On checking the labels, he found one packet had expired the previous day, while he claims the other was expiring that very day.
Watch the video below:
Disclaimer: NDTV does not vouch for the claims made in the Instagram posts.
Responding to one of the videos on this issue, Licious commented, "Hi Nikhil, we apologise for the kind of experience you had with us at Licious. Please DM us your registered contact details, and we'll get the concerned team to look into the problem and resolve it asap. ~Tina."
In another video, Nikhil shared a screenshot of his chat with Zepto's customer care, claiming the company offered a refund for the two packets along with ₹100 as a "goodwill gesture." However, he added that the issue goes beyond the cost of raw chicken - highlighting the risk of food poisoning, wastage of additional ingredients, and the time and effort spent cooking.
Disclaimer: NDTV does not vouch for the claims made in the Instagram post.
In his caption, Nikhil added, "I want to take this to consumer court, but I don't even know who to trust for legal help. If you know the right way or the right people, please reach out."
The video has received mixed reactions online:
One user commented, "When you buy consumable items, you have to check the expiry." Another suggested, "Go old school, brother, straight to the butcher shop, pick fresh meat. No expiry concerns."
Others appreciated Nikhil for raising awareness. One wrote, "Thanks for bringing this to notice...appreciate how you spread awareness."
A user shared, "I had the same experience with these packaged meats, which I bought from Zepto or other quick commerce apps. They mostly sell those packets which are near expiration."
NDTV reached out to Zepto, but the brand refused to comment on the matter.
