From now on, food couriers will have to register with Latvia’s Food and Veterinary Service (PVD), as reported by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The ministry reports that this agreement was reached by Minister of Agriculture Armands Krauze with Director General of PVD Māris Balodis.
This means all people who plan to work as food couriers will need to fill in an application form found at PVD website under “Information for food delivery couriers”. The form can be submitted both in person and electronically to PVD.
Officials agreed at the meeting that the creation of a database of food delivery carriers is the first step towards making this sector more transparent for both residents and supervisory institutions.
Representatives of the ministry point out that the specifics of the work of food delivery couriers do not provide for being in a specific workplace and at a certain time, which in fact makes it impossible to check on these couriers, especially if the companies with which they cooperate cannot provide immediate and clear information about the service providers.
The ministry explains that the creation of a courier database will allow finding out how many couriers there are in Latvia, as well as provide complete information about each person, including how to contact them.
Balodis notes that the demand for food delivery service had increased significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic and given that the courier delivers food packaged at the catering establishment, no significant risks to the health of consumers were identified at first.
However, he mentioned that the human factor is very important at the moment and in such situations, PVD must at least be able to find a person involved in the delivery in order to be held accountable if necessary.