Unhealthy Food at Your Fingertips: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Nutritional Quality of Restaurants and Takeaway Outlets on an Online Food Delivery Platform in New Zealand
Online food delivery (OFD) platforms have become increasingly popular due to advanced technology, which is changing the way consumers purchase food prepared outside of the home. There is limited research investigating the healthiness of the digital food environment and its influence on consumer choi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/21/4567 |
| _version_ | 1797466945327464448 |
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| author | Nisha Mahawar Si Si Jia Andriana Korai Celina Wang Margaret Allman-Farinelli Virginia Chan Rebecca Raeside Philayrath Phongsavan Julie Redfern Alice A. Gibson Stephanie R. Partridge Rajshri Roy |
| author_facet | Nisha Mahawar Si Si Jia Andriana Korai Celina Wang Margaret Allman-Farinelli Virginia Chan Rebecca Raeside Philayrath Phongsavan Julie Redfern Alice A. Gibson Stephanie R. Partridge Rajshri Roy |
| author_sort | Nisha Mahawar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Online food delivery (OFD) platforms have become increasingly popular due to advanced technology, which is changing the way consumers purchase food prepared outside of the home. There is limited research investigating the healthiness of the digital food environment and its influence on consumer choice and dietary behaviours. This study is the first to examine the nutritional quality and marketing attributes of menu items from popular independent and franchise restaurants and takeaway outlets on New Zealand’s market leading OFD platform (UberEATS<sup>®</sup>). A total of 374 popular independent and franchise restaurants and takeaway outlets were identified to form a database of complete menus and marketing attributes. All 25,877 menu items were classified into 38 food and beverage categories based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Of complete menus, 73.3% (18,955/25,877) were discretionary. Thirty-six percent (9419/25,877) were discretionary cereal-based mixed meals, the largest of the 38 categories. Discretionary menu items were more likely to be categorized as most popular (OR: 2.0, 95% CI 1.7–2.2), accompanied by a photo (OR: 1.7, 95% CI 1.6–1.8), and offered as a value bundle (OR: 4.6, 95% CI 3.2–6.8). Two of the three discretionary mixed meal categories were significantly less expensive than their healthier counterparts (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The overwhelming availability and promotion of discretionary choices offered by restaurants and takeaway outlets on OFD platforms have implications for public health policy. Further research to explore direct associations between nutritional quality and consumers’ dietary choices is required. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:45:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-206de265b98d42bcabed1224e2c249b9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:45:46Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-206de265b98d42bcabed1224e2c249b92023-11-24T06:13:37ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432022-10-011421456710.3390/nu14214567Unhealthy Food at Your Fingertips: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Nutritional Quality of Restaurants and Takeaway Outlets on an Online Food Delivery Platform in New ZealandNisha Mahawar0Si Si Jia1Andriana Korai2Celina Wang3Margaret Allman-Farinelli4Virginia Chan5Rebecca Raeside6Philayrath Phongsavan7Julie Redfern8Alice A. Gibson9Stephanie R. Partridge10Rajshri Roy11Discipline of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1011, New ZealandEngagement and Co-Design Research Hub, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2145, AustraliaNutrition and Dietetics Group, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaNutrition and Dietetics Group, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaNutrition and Dietetics Group, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaNutrition and Dietetics Group, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaEngagement and Co-Design Research Hub, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2145, AustraliaCharles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaEngagement and Co-Design Research Hub, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2145, AustraliaMenzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaEngagement and Co-Design Research Hub, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2145, AustraliaDiscipline of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1011, New ZealandOnline food delivery (OFD) platforms have become increasingly popular due to advanced technology, which is changing the way consumers purchase food prepared outside of the home. There is limited research investigating the healthiness of the digital food environment and its influence on consumer choice and dietary behaviours. This study is the first to examine the nutritional quality and marketing attributes of menu items from popular independent and franchise restaurants and takeaway outlets on New Zealand’s market leading OFD platform (UberEATS<sup>®</sup>). A total of 374 popular independent and franchise restaurants and takeaway outlets were identified to form a database of complete menus and marketing attributes. All 25,877 menu items were classified into 38 food and beverage categories based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Of complete menus, 73.3% (18,955/25,877) were discretionary. Thirty-six percent (9419/25,877) were discretionary cereal-based mixed meals, the largest of the 38 categories. Discretionary menu items were more likely to be categorized as most popular (OR: 2.0, 95% CI 1.7–2.2), accompanied by a photo (OR: 1.7, 95% CI 1.6–1.8), and offered as a value bundle (OR: 4.6, 95% CI 3.2–6.8). Two of the three discretionary mixed meal categories were significantly less expensive than their healthier counterparts (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The overwhelming availability and promotion of discretionary choices offered by restaurants and takeaway outlets on OFD platforms have implications for public health policy. Further research to explore direct associations between nutritional quality and consumers’ dietary choices is required.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/21/4567food environmentonline food deliverynutritiondiettakeaway foodsfast food |
| spellingShingle | Nisha Mahawar Si Si Jia Andriana Korai Celina Wang Margaret Allman-Farinelli Virginia Chan Rebecca Raeside Philayrath Phongsavan Julie Redfern Alice A. Gibson Stephanie R. Partridge Rajshri Roy Unhealthy Food at Your Fingertips: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Nutritional Quality of Restaurants and Takeaway Outlets on an Online Food Delivery Platform in New Zealand Nutrients food environment online food delivery nutrition diet takeaway foods fast food |
| title | Unhealthy Food at Your Fingertips: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Nutritional Quality of Restaurants and Takeaway Outlets on an Online Food Delivery Platform in New Zealand |
| title_full | Unhealthy Food at Your Fingertips: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Nutritional Quality of Restaurants and Takeaway Outlets on an Online Food Delivery Platform in New Zealand |
| title_fullStr | Unhealthy Food at Your Fingertips: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Nutritional Quality of Restaurants and Takeaway Outlets on an Online Food Delivery Platform in New Zealand |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unhealthy Food at Your Fingertips: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Nutritional Quality of Restaurants and Takeaway Outlets on an Online Food Delivery Platform in New Zealand |
| title_short | Unhealthy Food at Your Fingertips: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Nutritional Quality of Restaurants and Takeaway Outlets on an Online Food Delivery Platform in New Zealand |
| title_sort | unhealthy food at your fingertips cross sectional analysis of the nutritional quality of restaurants and takeaway outlets on an online food delivery platform in new zealand |
| topic | food environment online food delivery nutrition diet takeaway foods fast food |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/21/4567 |
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