Swiggy faces backlash over sale of dog breeds on Minis platform, company responds

Swiggy is facing criticism for permitting pet sales on its Minis platform, following a LinkedIn user's concerns over listings for pedigree dogs from breeders. The user, Shreya, called on Swiggy to reconsider allowing such listings, citing the #AdoptDontShop movement's growing popularity. Other users on LinkedIn also expressed shock at realising that the platform did not introduce proper checks before allowing dog breeders to create listings. 

Shreya expressed disappointment in her LinkedIn post, describing Swiggy's allowance of breeders on the platform as “tone deaf and unethical.” She highlighted the negative consequences of breeding, including the exploitation and abuse of mother dogs. Shreya noted that shelters are already overwhelmed with animals abandoned by breeders, making these listings particularly troubling.

She further stated, “As a progressive company priding itself on GenZ advertising, this move is shocking. Act now. Be better.”

Swiggy responded by thanking Shreya for highlighting the issue and clarified that they “do not support or endorse the sale of pets or animals.” The company has since blocked the seller involved and removed their website from the Minis platform, explaining that Minis does not promote website discovery. While they assist businesses in scaling, Swiggy emphasised that they have neither hosted nor endorsed the seller.

Shreya appreciated Swiggy's response but raised concerns about the lack of oversight on listings. She commented, “Thank you for finally taking action and also acknowledging this. Better late than never.” She questioned, “But it’s worrisome that listings are not verified by Swiggy? Businesses can choose to list anything without any guidelines or checks?”

Shreya suggested Swiggy implement “stringent checks and balances for all listings big, small, popular or not,” noting that pet-related keywords are highly searched. She warned that if users encounter similar listings without proper checks, “it’s clearly a recipe for disaster, no?”

Another user posted a similar statement along with screenshots of the listings of various dog breeds. The user said, “I was horrified seeing those pictures of pups for sale on Swiggy Minis. I appreciate Swiggy's swift response to it. But the larger question is, who's doing the vetting?”

She further added, “While the brand was quick to act and take down the breeder's listing, it's worth considering what checks Swiggy has in place to ensure this doesn't happen again.”