The number of registered food couriers in Armenia has been estimated at 2,000-3,000, with at least 10% already confirmed to have medical certificates. The figures were provided by Anush Harutyunyan, head of the Awareness, Consulting and Public Relations Department at the Food Safety Inspection Body, based on information received from delivery service companies and the results of inspections conducted by the authority:
Months ago, the Food Safety Inspection Body announced plans to tighten oversight in the sector and begin inspections on March 1. However, businesses requested additional time to comply with legal requirements, saying their estimates put the number of food couriers at 2,000-3,000 and that more time was therefore needed to arrange their medical examinations:
On August 1, when the additional deadline granted by the Food Safety Inspection Body expired, inspectors began their rounds and have already checked about 10% of the reported 2,000-3,000 couriers:
“During the first 10 days of August, approximately 237 couriers were inspected. Almost all had medical certificates, while those who did not were found to be delivering non-food items. We did not find even one person who was delivering food and did not have a certificate at that time. The results of 10-15 days of inspections show that the employers — the delivery platforms — have kept their word and resolved the issue,” Harutyunyan said:
Although the inspection results have been satisfactory, the Food Safety Inspection Body said strict monitoring would continue:
“Inspectors, together with the patrol service, will be on the streets, in Yerevan and various parts of the country, conducting checks to determine to what extent the delivery issue has been resolved,” Anush Harutyunyan said:
The inspections have mainly been conducted, and will continue to be conducted, outdoors, directly within the delivery chain. The inspection authority did not consider visits to companies organizing deliveries to be effective. This is because those companies were not considered employers but operated as platforms where people registered as couriers and received orders through them:
The platforms provided couriers with necessary equipment, including bags and boxes designed for transporting food. Under the new regulation, platforms will no longer register couriers who fail to present a medical certificate when signing up:
“We can track the platform and see whether a particular courier is registered there as a food delivery worker or not. If they are a food courier, they automatically fall under our supervision. Naturally, the inspector checks whether they have a sanitary passport — a medical certificate — and whether they have undergone a medical examination,” the inspection authority representative said:
For couriers who are foreign nationals, medical examinations are guaranteed under Armenian law provided they have the right of residence. Nevertheless, major delivery service platforms said they had initially assisted their partner couriers in undergoing medical examinations and obtaining the required certificates:
Going forward, couriers themselves will be responsible for complying with the legal requirement, as full responsibility will rest with the individual. Under Armenia’s Code of Administrative Offenses, failure to have a sanitary certificate or undergo a mandatory medical examination is punishable by a fine of 40,000-50,000 drams, while a repeat violation carries a fine of 80,000-100,000 drams:
