Since its inception more than two decades ago, online food ordering and delivery have changed how we eat and how food businesses operate.
The gig or ‘sharing’ economy has transformed modern life. The convenience of food delivery at our homes makes it successful, but its effects on society are not very positive.
Many understandably argue that since food has increasingly become a service, it has led to little sustainability, a lot of waste, ghost kitchens, unhealthy menus, more social isolation, and exploitation of riders with precarious work conditions.
For many, home-delivered food has changed eating from a vital necessity to a fast service known precisely as ‘food as a service’. It is a new market still riddled with constantly evolving legal loopholes. Its effects are beginning to show for better and worse.
The exponential growth of the food delivery businesses has led to compliance gaps and regulatory uncertainty. Food delivery platforms face challenges to their business models, including regulating delivery riders’ employment status and focusing on partner restaurants’ food safety.
In February 2021, the UK Supreme Court unanimously held that a group of Uber drivers were workers. This was an important decision because “worker” status provides individuals with a subset of basic employment rights, including minimum wage, pensions, holiday pay and protection in discrimination claims not afforded to independent contractors. Still, few countries have closed this loophole leading to the exploitation of riders that often come from third countries.
Food safety is another concern that needs to be addressed with more determination. In 2019, a BBC investigation uncovered the astounding number of restaurants selling food on the world’s largest delivery platforms with one-star and zero-star hygiene ratings. The rise of the ‘dark kitchen’ – a professional commercial kitchen that only produces food for sale on delivery platforms – has underlined the importance of food safety.
To keep micro-organisms from proliferating, food should be kept above 65-67ºC, or below five and then reheated at home. Moreover, food delivered to home must always be kept in isothermal containers. Hardly anyone does it because it is more expensive. Riders carry cooler bags but open them constantly to make deliveries, making it impossible to maintain the right temperature.
Those ordering food in the infernal temperatures experienced this summer must be aware of the risks they take when food delivery platforms do not follow strictly hygiene standards. Even if the food is prepared safely in well-run kitchens, once it leaves the dark kitchen, it is difficult to determine who is responsible for food safety on the journey to the consumer.
Those ordering food in the infernal temperatures experienced this summer must be aware of the risks they take when food delivery platforms do not follow strictly hygiene standards
Public health authorities may not comment much on cases of food poisoning resulting from people consuming fast food delivered to their doors with a free portion of salmonella. But indeed, common sense tells us that some may be victims of the failure of food delivery platforms to follow strict hygiene regulations, especially if the public health authorities adopt a lax approach to enforcement of these regulations.
Few can deny that our congested roads are becoming even more chaotic because of the hundreds of motorcycles delivering food daily to homes, offices and even public hospitals. Riders are often tempted to ignore traffic regulations to speed up delivery and improve their commissions. This is putting many road users at risk, not least the delivery drivers.
While home delivery food services are often associated with the younger generations, Kantar, a world-leading data research company, confirms that people over 50 are increasingly ordering food at home. With greater purchasing power, this sector of the population is also more demanding in terms of seriousness, punctuality or delivery. These older adults enjoy the freedom of not spending hours in the kitchen preparing their meals. But it could aggravate the problem of loneliness or social isolation among older people, who, not having to go out to buy food or to eat, could spend days without social contact.
Ordering food through an app takes a toll on the planet, even if many do not care much about this increasingly crucial existential threat. The predominant food delivered to homes and offices is the classic menu of hamburgers, fries and soft drinks. Wrapping paper, plastic packaging for condiments and drinking straw add to the environmental disaster.
Health authorities must do more to ensure that the seismic cultural change in how we consume food does not accelerate the decline of the health and well-being of the community.
Hopefully, we are not already too late in understanding the health risks associated with this industry.