Exploring how foods are promoted by price and placement on meal delivery apps

New research from Food Active sheds light on how food and drinks are promoted on popular Meal Delivery Apps (MDAs) such as Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat. With the UK ranking third globally in online food delivery, these apps have become a significant part of our food system. While they offer convenient access to meals, there are growing concerns about the nutritional quality of the food they promote, much of which is high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS), contributing to the nation’s poor diet.

Food Active conducted research across two Liverpool postcodes, analysing data from 180 food outlets across the three leading MDAs. The findings reveal a clear trend: less healthy food options are being heavily promoted. These items are often positioned at the top of menus and are regularly featured in price promotions, such as volume-based discounts and free delivery offers. This highlights how MDAs and the out-of-home (OOH) sector use pricing and placement tactics to make less healthy options more attractive to consumers.

The research also explored the availability of healthier choices on these platforms, with only 17% of outlets tagged as “healthy.” However, the criteria for this label appear inconsistent, with some outlets such as Subway and kebab shops being categorised as healthy despite not typically fitting that description.

Another key finding was the presence of potential “dark kitchens”—outlets possibly operating from industrial units or offering collection-only services—which accounted for 9% of the sample. These dark kitchens are a growing area of concern, as they operate largely under the radar of traditional food regulation.

The report concludes with a series of recommendations aimed at multiple stakeholders. National and local governments are encouraged to extend existing legislation and adopt whole systems approaches to improve dietary health. MDAs are urged to enhance the transparency of food healthiness on their platforms, with the introduction of a “Health Rating Score” as a potential solution. Additionally, further research is recommended to explore these findings on a larger, national scale.