Junk Food on Demand: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Nutritional Quality of Popular Online Food Delivery Outlets in Australia and New Zealand

Partridge, Stephanie R.; Gibson, Alice A.; Roy, Rajshri; Malloy, Jessica A; Raeside, Rebecca; Jia, Si Si; Singleton, Anna; Mandoh, Mariam; Todd, Allyson; Wang, Tian; Halim, Nicole; Hyun, Karice; Redfern, Julie

doi:10.3390/nu12103107

Cited by 84 publications

(127 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The existing food environment is being disrupted by the emergence of online food delivery (OFD) platforms, which have recorded a doubling in usage from 2018 to 2020 [ 9 ]. OFD platforms have been defined as “websites or smartphone applications set up for customers to select from food outlets’ menu items to order food prepared away from the home for pick up or delivery by freelance couriers” [ 10 ]. Almost 30% of younger generations (15-to-34 years) use these OFD platforms and have recently been identified as their main users [ 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Concerns have been raised about the nutritional quality of meals offered by OFD platforms. A recent cross-sectional observational study conducted by Partridge et al in Sydney and Auckland, characterised 680 popular food outlets and their five to ten most popular menu items from UberEats ® , the market-leading OFD platform in Australia [ 10 ]. They found 86% of popular menu items were discretionary foods and beverages (also known as junk food), which are defined as items high in added salt, saturated fat, sugar and low in fibre by the Australian Dietary Guidelines [ 10 , 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A recent cross-sectional observational study conducted by Partridge et al in Sydney and Auckland, characterised 680 popular food outlets and their five to ten most popular menu items from UberEats ® , the market-leading OFD platform in Australia [ 10 ]. They found 86% of popular menu items were discretionary foods and beverages (also known as junk food), which are defined as items high in added salt, saturated fat, sugar and low in fibre by the Australian Dietary Guidelines [ 10 , 13 ]. Previous studies have described the nutritional composition of meals from takeaway franchises (chain stores that prepare and sell meals/snacks ready for immediate consumption, offered in specialised packaging, e.g., McDonalds ® , or KFC ® ) that are subject to menu labelling [ 14 , 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies have described the nutritional composition of meals from takeaway franchises (chain stores that prepare and sell meals/snacks ready for immediate consumption, offered in specialised packaging, e.g., McDonalds ® , or KFC ® ) that are subject to menu labelling [ 14 , 15 ]. However, independent takeaways (takeaway outlets that are not franchises, e.g., local kebab shop) [ 16 ], are not subject to this regulation and were reported to be the second largest (30%) food outlet type on OFD platforms after takeaway franchises [ 10 ]. Only a few studies have explored the nutritional quality of food items provided by independent outlets [ 5 , 10 , 17 ], highlighting a research gap exists for this food outlet classification.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, independent takeaways (takeaway outlets that are not franchises, e.g., local kebab shop) [ 16 ], are not subject to this regulation and were reported to be the second largest (30%) food outlet type on OFD platforms after takeaway franchises [ 10 ]. Only a few studies have explored the nutritional quality of food items provided by independent outlets [ 5 , 10 , 17 ], highlighting a research gap exists for this food outlet classification. The collation of independent restaurants on a single platform provides a unique opportunity for efficient evaluation of the nutritional quality of menus from multiple independent takeaways.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hunger for Home Delivery: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Nutritional Quality of Complete Menus on an Online Food Delivery Platform in Australia

et al. 2021

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Online food delivery (OFD) platforms have changed how consumers purchase food prepared outside of home by capitalising on convenience and smartphone technology. Independent food outlets encompass a substantial proportion of partnering outlets, but their offerings’ nutritional quality is understudied. Little is also known as to how OFD platforms influence consumer choice. This study evaluated the nutritional quality and marketing attributes of offerings from independent takeaway outlets available on Sydney’s market-leading OFD platform (UberEats®). Complete menus and marketing attributes from 202 popular outlets were collected using web scraping. All 13841 menu items were classified into 38 food and beverage categories based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Of complete menus, 80.5% (11,139/13,841) were discretionary and 42.3% (5849/13,841) were discretionary cereal-based mixed meals, the largest of the 38 categories. Discretionary menu items were more likely to be categorised as most popular (OR: 2.5, 95% CI 1.9–3.2), accompanied by an image (OR: 1.3, 95% CI 1.2–1.5) and offered as a value bundle (OR: 6.5, 95% CI 4.8–8.9). Two of the three discretionary food categories were more expensive than their healthier Five Food Group counterparts (p < 0.02). The ubiquity of discretionary choices offered by independent takeaways and the marketing attributes employed by OFD platforms has implications for public health policy. Further research on the contribution of discretionary choices and marketing attributes to nutritional intakes is warranted.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Hunger for Home Delivery: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Nutritional Quality of Complete Menus on an Online Food Delivery Platform in Australia

et al. 2021

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Food purchasing practices in various retail settings and dietary intake: A cross‐sectional survey of Australian adolescents

Chen

Haynes

Scully

et al. 2023

Health Prom J of Aust

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Background/AimsDiscretionary, energy‐dense, nutrient‐poor food and drinks are heavily marketed and readily available in retail settings frequented by adolescents. This study examines associations between food purchasing practices in various retail settings and dietary intake among Australian adolescents.MethodsParticipants were students in years 8 to 11 (ages 12‐17 years) who completed the 2009‐10 (n = 13 790), 2012‐13 (n = 10 309) or 2018 (n = 9102) National Secondary Students' Diet and Activity (NaSSDA) cross‐sectional survey. Multistage stratified random sampling was used. An online survey completed at school assessed self‐reported frequency of food purchasing practices in various retail settings and consumption of discretionary food, sugary drinks, fruit and vegetables. Generalised linear regression models examined associations between food purchasing practices and dietary behaviour.ResultsRelative to students who brought lunch from home, those who purchased lunch from school or nearby outlets reported higher intake of discretionary food and sugary drinks and lower fruit intake. Buying lunch from school was also associated with lower vegetable intake. Buying food or drinks on the school commute, outside school grounds during school hours, from supermarket checkouts, and using mobile phone apps were each associated with higher discretionary food and sugary drink intake (all P < .01).ConclusionsPurchasing food or drink in various retail settings is associated with higher intake of discretionary food and drink among Australian adolescents, and some purchasing practices appeared to displace fruit and vegetable intake.So What?These findings highlight a need to improve the accessibility and promotion of healthier food and drink options in schools and other retail settings.

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Bring it on! Package shape signaling dominant male body promotes healthy food consumption for male consumers

Qian

Yan

Pan

et al. 2023

Psychology and Marketing

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Although the effects of product packaging on food healthiness and product/brand anthropomorphism on consumer response have been extensively studied, there has been little attention paid to how anthropomorphizing the package could potentially bias consumers' perception of food healthiness and subsequent consumption. Drawing on theory from evolutionary psychology, the current paper proposes that package signaling a dominant male body (vs. nondominant package) promoted healthy food consumption among males rather than female consumers. In a field study (Study 1), preliminary real‐world evidence was collected that showed that both genders perceived food as healthier when it was packaged in a dominant (vs. nondominant) package. However, in terms of food content satisfaction, only males reported more satisfaction when exposed to the dominant (vs. nondominant) package, and this effect was not observed for unhealthy food. Next, two lab experiments directly assessed the impact of package dominance on male consumers' purchase intention of healthy food products and found that intrasexual competition underlies such effect (Studies 2 and 3). These findings were contingent on individual differences in competitive mindset (Study 4); competitive (vs. cooperative) consumers were more inclined to pay a premium for healthy food within dominant package. Our work adds to the growing body of literature on anthropomorphic package by highlighting the influential role of package dominance on healthy food consumption. Marketers selling healthy food may adopt a dominant (i.e., V‐shaped package) to communicate the product's healthiness and promote consumption for male consumers.

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Junk Food on Demand: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Nutritional Quality of Popular Online Food Delivery Outlets in Australia and New Zealand

Cited by 84 publications

References 25 publications

Hunger for Home Delivery: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Nutritional Quality of Complete Menus on an Online Food Delivery Platform in Australia

Hunger for Home Delivery: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Nutritional Quality of Complete Menus on an Online Food Delivery Platform in Australia

Food purchasing practices in various retail settings and dietary intake: A cross‐sectional survey of Australian adolescents

Bring it on! Package shape signaling dominant male body promotes healthy food consumption for male consumers

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