A team of researchers from the University of Sydney released a study on Sunday which stated that a majority of online food delivery apps do not display nutritional information of food products listed on them. What follows an investigation of some major food delivery apps globally – such as UberEats, Menulog and Deliveroo – showed that less than 6% of businesses present on food delivery apps displayed complete nutritional labelling.
The study, which observed this phenomenon on a total of 482 delivery apps that were researched for the purpose, published their findings in the medical journal – Public Health Nutrition. One of the lead authors who helmed the process stated that menu labelling had real-world impact on consumer behaviour, making it easier for people to buy food of lower nutritional quality as a result. As the usage of food delivery apps has risen significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, the study also noted that menu labelling laws were written for traditional food environments, thus needing to be updated according to the changing scope of how the world eats today.
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The convenience of food delivery apps and access to various food businesses has been made easy since many of them shifted online – which the study also highlighted as being inconsistent – especially with chain outlets at various locations that displayed varying nutritional information. Although no particular laws are in place to govern the unregulated online world of food so far, the researchers advised that it was important for food delivery apps to be more responsible with displaying nutritional information and help users make better dietary choices.