How are meal delivery applications disrupting food environments and affecting population diets and health?

Abstract

Background: Meal delivery applications (‘apps’) enable convenient access to takeaway foods, typically high in sodium, saturated fats, and sugars. These apps may further promote unhealthy diets and elevate risk for diet-related chronic diseases. The aim of this thesis was to investigate how meal delivery apps are disrupting food environments and affecting population diets and health.

Methods: Critical synthesis of evidence in a perspective article (Ch 2); Systematic review (Ch 3); Mobile Ecological Momentary Assessment pilot study (Ch 4), Development of the DIGIFOOD dashboard, a data-driven tool to monitor the digitalisation of food environments (Ch 5); Analysis of the DIGIFOOD dashboard using quasi-Poisson regression models to assess socioeconomic disparities in hybrid food environments (Ch 6); Systematic mapping review of evidence to inform nutrition-related policies (Ch 7).

Results: Meal delivery apps increased in use during COVID-19 (Ch 3). Of concern, meal delivery apps may impede progress towards a sustainable and healthy future (Ch 2). Chapter 4 obtained evidence on the consumption and context around meal delivery events, indicating that a bulk of orders are comprised of ‘junk foods’. In an Australian context, online food outlets were most accessible in areas experiencing the least socioeconomic disadvantage (Ch 5 and 6). Existing nutrition-related policies to regulate meal delivery apps is limited (Ch 7).

Conclusion: This thesis provides evidence that meal delivery apps have transformed food environments and pose significant opportunities and challenges, to population health and diets. Research and policy must keep pace with this new digital frontier which may compromise any progress to-date in improving food environments.