The Minister said that the initiative was prompted by consumer complaints and videos on social networking sites of couriers opening packages of food to be delivered.
A video of a courier opening a caterer's wrapped food package, as well as the behavior of the courier next to him, has been widely discussed and shared on social media. It has also had some influence on the decision of the ZM to impose requirements on caterers by training them in basic hygiene rules.
"People want those who deliver to be trained in hygiene and to learn the elementary, so to say, basic principles of how to handle food," explained Minister of Agriculture Armands Krauze (Greens and Farmers Union).
The idea is also supported by the Latvian Restaurant Association, which stresses that the requirements for restaurants are strict.
"The moment we have prepared a very tasty dish to all these requirements, the courier services come in and we lose control of the outcome," said Jānis Jenzis, President of the Latvian Restaurant Association.
The Ministry's rules are still under development. The details are not known, but it is clear that courses on basic hygiene are planned in Latvian. Although as self-employed couriers should know Latvian to communicate with customers, the reality is quite different.
"All training is in Latvian, and there can be no doubt about that at all, because I think that in terms of food quality and language, I don't think there can be any compromises," says the Minister of Agriculture.
Although delivery platforms promise to cooperate, there are still many questions, including whether the requirement for couriers who do not speak the language to take a course in Latvian will become a formality without any benefit.
Meanwhile, the Restaurant Association points out that compromises will probably have to be found.
"Our aim is probably not to teach the Latvian language to everyone in the world, but to provide a quality, hygienic delivery service," Jenzis added.
In Latvia, the most popular food delivery platforms are Wolt and Bolt Food. Both Wolt and Bolt said in a written reply that they are ready to cooperate with the ZM, and are also working proactively to raise awareness of hygiene requirements among couriers. Bolt, for example, plans to distribute stickers on the packaging to restaurants so that the recipient can be sure that the food has reached the customer intact.
