Search Results (18)

There are three operational modes for restaurant takeaway services: a takeaway platform combined with restaurant delivery (mode A), a takeaway platform paired with platform delivery (mode B), and a self-established platform with delivery (mode C). In the face of intense market competition, determining how restaurants can select appropriate operational delivery modes to maintain competitiveness and profitability has emerged as a pressing issue. In this paper, we develop game models that encompass a restaurant and food delivery platform to investigate the optimal operational mode for restaurants. Our analysis indicates that when the market size is small, mode B results in the lowest ordering costs, the highest sales volume, and the maximum profit. Conversely, in the context of a large market size, if the commission rate is low, mode A minimizes the ordering costs and maximizes sales volume; if the commission rate is high, mode C minimizes the ordering costs while also achieving the highest sales volume. Notably, we find that as long as the market size is sufficiently large, mode C consistently yields the highest restaurant profits. The outcomes of this study contribute to the theoretical framework surrounding the operation and management of food delivery platforms and offer theoretical guidance and decision-making support for selecting restaurant food delivery operational modes. Full article

Foodborne pathogens of Bacillus cereus (B. cereus), non-STEC Escherichia coli (non-STEC E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) are currently non-notifiable in Australia unless attributed to a food poisoning outbreak. Due to the lack of data around individual cases and isolations in foods, any changes in prevalence may go undetected. The aim of this study was to determine any changes in the prevalence of B. cereus, non-STEC E. coli and S. aureus in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods sampled from Western Australian restaurants, cafés, catering facilities and takeaway food premises from July 2009 to June 2022. A total of 21,822 microbiological test results from 7329 food samples analysed over this 13-year period were reviewed and analysed. Linear trend graphs derived from the annual prevalence and binary logistic regression models were used to analyse the sample results, which indicated an increase in prevalence for B. cereus. In contrast, a decrease in prevalence for both S. aureus and non-STEC E. coli was determined. Additionally, there were changes in prevalence for the three bacteria in specific months, seasons, specific RTE foods and food premises types. Further research is needed to gain a better understanding of the potential drivers behind these changes in prevalence, including the potential impacts of climate change, COVID-19, legislation and guidelines targeting specific RTE foods, and the difficulty of differentiating B. cereus from B. thuringeniesis using standard testing methods. Full article

As consumers increasingly access takeaway food from restaurants, the importance of reducing the use of single-use plastic has emerged. To investigate this complex process, the current study applies the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Norm Activation Model (NAM) to discover how this theory and model leads to discovering customers’ behavioral intentions. Data were collected from 436 respondents and reflect people aged 18 years or older who accessed an online food ordering platform within the three months prior to the study data collection. Results present that customers’ attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, awareness of consequences, and personal norms regarding reducing single-use plastic utensils influence consumers’ behavioral intentions. These findings are meaningful to academia in providing insights into the link between consumers’ behavior and reducing the use of single-use plastic utensils in the restaurant context. In addition, this study provides marketing strategies and implications for improving consumers’ awareness of the use of single-use plastic utensils in retail food services. Full article

Cities are moving towards sustainable development, which consists of tasks and challenges to improve the quality of life, and minimize energy consumption. The concept of sustainable mobility includes the choice of means of transport other than the car for all journeys, especially short distances, and for the delivery of goods. Due to the growing populations of cities, lack of free space, and high costs of building infrastructure for traditional means of transport, cities are looking for modern solutions that allow for the cheap, fast, and green transportation of people and goods. Urban air mobility is the answer to these problems, and uses eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle systems (UAVs). The article’s main purpose is to present an energy efficiency analysis using UAVs and electric scooters in the transport of takeaway food, which is a solution that fits into the zero-emission transport policy. The article presents the following research problem: which type of electric transport (scooters/UAVs) shows a lower demand for electric energy when delivering food from restaurants to individual customers? The analysis method was applied using the D’Andrea, Dorling, Figliozzi, Kirchstein, and Tseng energy models. The completed calculations were used to perform a comparative analysis of energy consumption for three adopted scenarios related to energy consumption by drones. Full article

Staphylococcal food poisoning results from the consumption of food contaminated by staphylococcal enterotoxins. In July 2022, the Turin local health board was notified of a suspected foodborne outbreak involving six children who had consumed döner kebab purchased from a takeaway restaurant. The symptoms (vomiting and nausea) were observed 2–3 h later. A microbiological analysis of the food samples revealed high levels (1.5 × 10⁷ CFU/g) of coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS). The immunoassay detected a contamination with staphylococcal enterotoxins type B (SEB). The whole genome sequencing of isolates from the food matrix confirmed the staphylococcal enterotoxin genes encoding for type B, which was in line with the SEB detected in the food. This toxin is rarely reported in staphylococcal food poisoning, however, because there is no specific commercial method of detection. The involvement of enterotoxin type P (SEP) was not confirmed, though the corresponding gene (sep) was detected in the isolates. Nasal swabs from the restaurant food handlers tested positive for CPS, linking them to the likely source of the food contamination. Full article

In the modern catering business model, restaurants usually use established platforms to promote their food and use two channels to sell their food: online and offline sales. We construct demand functions for online and offline, considering promotion and substitution relationships by a revised Bertrand model. We first consider three classic models: the decentralized decision model, the equilibrium decision model, and the centralized decision model. In the decentralized decision model, the platform decides both the promotional effort and the online discount; in the equilibrium decision model, the platform decides the online discount, while the food service provider decides the promotional effort. In the centralized decision model, the takeaway platform and the food service provider have maximized the overall profit as the decisive goal. We find that the online discount decreases in price when the impact factor of the online promotion is high but increases in price when the impact factor of the online promotion is low. Then, we analyze and compare the results under three models. We find that when the substitution factor is low enough, or the impactor factor of online promotion is low enough, the global optimal platform discount is higher than the equilibrium platform discount and the decentralized online discount; otherwise, the results are the opposite. In addition, the global optimal promotional effort is always higher than the optimal promotional effort in the decentralized model. When the substitution factor is low enough, or the impactor factor of online promotion is low enough, the global optimal promotional effort is higher than the equilibrium optimal promotional effort; otherwise, the result is the opposite. Full article

Single-use packaging is one of the biggest contributors to plastic waste, and reuse has been identified as a key strategy to reduce such waste. However, reusable containers typically become worn, which may influence how consumers think and feel about reuse. The present research explored whether and how evaluations of a takeaway food service changed depending on the appearance of a reusable container. Two studies were conducted (using opportunity sampling) to (i) investigate the effects that signs of use have on people’s perceptions of reusable packaging systems using quantitative methods (Study 1) and (ii) understand the rationale underpinning these evaluations using qualitative methods (Study 2). Study 1 involved an online questionnaire where participants (n = 292) were shown images of reusable bowls for takeaway food with various levels of staining and asked to evaluate the container and the restaurant serving the food using rating scales. Study 2 involved in-person interviews where participants (n = 22) were given the opportunity to inspect either a clean bowl or a stained bowl and then were asked questions about the bowls. Signs of previous use seemed to undermine people’s willingness to reuse containers in the future and were associated with more negative evaluations of the packaging, product, and restaurant serving the food. These findings provide insights into the factors that affect people’s willingness to engage with reusable packaging systems, and we use these findings to suggest behavioural and design interventions that might mitigate negative evaluations and encourage reuse. Full article

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^®). 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 (p < 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. Full article

To tackle unhealthy eating among adolescents, it is crucial to understand the dietary knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) on which adolescent eating habits are based. This qualitative study identifies the gaps in KAP by exploring what Chinese adolescents know, perceive, and practice regarding healthy eating to better inform targeted interventions for this important health problem. Parent–adolescent dyads were purposively sampled based on, for example, the dietary intake, age, and gender of the adolescent and household income, and each completed a 30 to 60 min interview. Twelve themes were synthesized: knowledge: (1) dietary recommendations, (2) health outcomes of healthy eating, (3) nutrition content in food, and (4) access to healthy meals; attitudes: (5) outcome expectation for healthy eating, (6) food preferences, and (7) self-efficacy regarding adopting healthy eating; and practices: (8) going grocery shopping for healthy food, (9) eating home-prepared meals. (10) eating out in restaurants or consuming takeaway food, (11) fruit and vegetable consumption, and (12) snacking, perceived unhealthy eating to be low risk, made unhealthy choices regarding snacking and eating out, and had insufficient fruit and vegetable intake. Programs should emphasize the positive short-term health outcomes of healthy eating and empower adolescents to acquire food preparation skills to sustain healthy eating habits. Full article

The era of mobile information has arrived, and people’s lifestyles have undergone tremendous changes. Ordering takeaways through takeout apps on smartphones is one of them. However, most existing takeaway platforms charge high commissions in the middle. There are many fake reviews in restaurants, the authenticity of restaurant ratings is low, and the recommended dishes have low customer satisfaction. This paper aims to solve this problem by introducing a peer-to-peer architecture based on blockchain smart contracts. The proposed architecture leverages the automation of smart contracts to provide autonomous, commission-free food ordering and delivery services. In addition, the smart contract reward mechanism is used to collect order information and rating information, and a deep learning recommendation model is introduced to analyze the data to recommend restaurants and menus to the client accurately. To demonstrate the usability and efficiency of the proposed method, we conducted a case study using public chain-based technologies. At the same time, comprehensive evaluation experiments are carried out, and the results show the importance of the proposed food delivery system. Full article

Eating out of home (EOH) is a common practice worldwide but research gaps have been identified. The aims of this review were (a) to find a common definition for EOH, (b) to determine the nutritional contribution of EOH, and (c) to analyze the relationship of EOH with health parameters in adults. Fifty-seven articles were finally selected. The definition of EOH was not harmonized between researchers and the comparison between studies was quite difficult. Restaurant and fast food were the terms most used, followed by chain restaurant, à la carte, sit-down restaurant, eating at table, full service, ready to eat, takeaway, buffet and buffet by weight, bar, cafes, and cafeterias, either alone or attached to at least one of the above. The profile of the main EOH participant was a highly educated, high-income, and unmarried young man. EOH was related to a body mass index (BMI) or being overweight in a different way depending on age, sex, or EOH frequency. A high rate of EOH led to poorer diet quality, characterized by higher intakes of energy, total and saturated fats, sugar, and sodium, as well as lower intakes of fiber, dairy, fruit, vegetables, and micronutrients. Regarding beverages, a higher intake of soft drinks, sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juices, beer, and other alcohol was observed when EOH. There is a need for a methodological consensus for analyzing the impact of EOH on dietary intake and health to avoid bias. Additionally, measures and policies should be utilized to help consumers to make healthier choices when EOH is compatible with business regarding those running EOH establishments. Full article

Food preferences are among the most influential factors of food habits in the vulnerable period of adolescence; in addition, gender-dependent differences in food preferences are also observed. The aim of the present study was to analyze differences in food habits between individuals stratified based on their food preferences in a population-based sample of adolescents aged 15–20. The study was conducted within the Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study population in a group of 2419 secondary school students who were randomly chosen to participate in the study using a random quota sampling procedure. The food preferences were determined on the basis of a validated Food Preference Questionnaire (FPQ) (which enables assessing preference of vegetables, fruit, meat/fish, dairy, snacks, and starches), whereas food habits were determined on the basis of the Adolescents’ Food Habits Checklist (AFHC) (which enables assessing food purchase, preparation, and consumption habits). The analysis involved three homogenous clusters (‘low-preferring’, ‘hedonists’, and ‘high-preferring’), which were identified using the k-means algorithm. It was found that for a number of the assessed food purchase, preparation, and consumption habits, there were statistically significant differences between the ‘low-preferring’, ‘hedonists’, and ‘high-preferring’ clusters. Within food purchase habits, the food preference influenced frequency of buying pastries/cakes and frequency of eating takeaway meals for all the respondents, while for female respondents, it influenced also choice of desserts in restaurants, and for male respondents, it influenced choosing a low-fat lunch away from home (p < 0.05). Within food preparation habits, the food preference influenced the fat content in desserts at home, the frequency of eating at least one serving of vegetables/salad with an evening meal, the frequency of spreading butter/margarine on bread thinly, and the frequency of having cream on desserts for all the respondents; meanwhile, for female respondents, it also influenced the frequency of avoiding fried foods and the frequency of including chocolate/biscuits in their packed lunch (p < 0.05). Within food consumption habits, the food preference influenced the frequency of eating a dessert/pudding, eating at least one serving of fruit a day, eating at least one serving of vegetables/salad a day, avoiding sausages/burgers, trying to ensure they eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, and frequency of choosing fruit as a snack for all the respondents; meanwhile, for male respondents, it also influenced the frequency of eating sweet snacks and eating at least three servings of fruit most days (p < 0.05). Taking into account that some improper food habits may be typical for the specific clusters, there is an urgent need to analyze and address them for the purposes of public health and to bear in mind that some of those habits are gender-dependent. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic is known to influence the dietary habits of adults, but results for adolescents in studies are ambiguous. The present work aimed to analyze the differences in the scores of the Adolescents’ Food Habits Checklist (AFHC) before and during the pandemic in the Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study population. The PLACE-19 Study was conducted during the pandemic among a population of 2448 students recruited from secondary schools in all regions of Poland using a random quota sampling. The participants were required to complete an AFHC consisting of 23 items pertaining to food purchase, preparation, and consumption habits. Current habits (during the pandemic) and previous habits were assessed and scored separately. The total (p = 0.001), purchase (p < 0.001), and consumption scores (p = 0.014) indicated that the AFHC scores during the pandemic were higher than before. For questions on purchase habits, a lower number of respondents reported eating in a restaurant, eating takeaway meals, having lunch away from home, or buying pastries, cakes or crisps. For questions on preparation habits, an greater number of respondents reported that they usually avoided eating fried food and tried to keep their overall sugar intake down, but fewer respondents said they tried to have low-fat desserts. For questions on consumption habits, a lower number of respondents reported that they usually ate a dessert or pudding if one were available and a larger number said they made sure to eat at least one serving of vegetables or salad a day and at least three servings of fruit most days. Based on the obtained results, it may be stated that although there was an increase in the AFHC scores during the pandemic, a similar share of respondents showed improved or worsened food habits, and a similar share changed their food habits from healthy to unhealthy and from unhealthy to healthy. At the same time, a majority of changes were associated with purchase habits, which were probably forced by lockdowns and the resultant restrictions in eating out or grocery shopping. Full article

While excessive plastic use has severe ecological consequences, the distant nature of these consequences may limit their effect on individual plastic use behavior. One possibility to address this problem is to link plastic use behavior to more direct consequences. Pro-environmental behavior researchers adopting this approach typically try to change people’s behavior by providing them with monetary incentives. Here, we pursued an alternative strategy by linking pro-environmental behavior to prosocial incentives. Takeaway customers of a fast food restaurant were informed that, for every unused plastic bag, a small donation would be made to a charitable organization. In comparison to baseline and control conditions, the likelihood of using a restaurant-provided plastic bag was more than halved when plastic-bag refusal led to such prosocial incentives. In addition, we tested whether the effectiveness of prosocial incentives depended on their size and on the type of organization (prosocial vs. environmental) receiving the incentive. While these latter analyses revealed some promising trends, they did not allow for definitive conclusions about the effect of these parameters. Hence, while our field experiment provides support for the general effectiveness of prosocial incentives, more research is needed to determine which prosocial incentives are most effective in shaping plastic bag use and other environmentally relevant behaviors. Full article

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 disease (COVID)-19 is having profound effects on the global economy and food trade. Limited data are available on how this pandemic is affecting our dietary and lifestyle-related behaviors at the global level. Google Trends was used to obtain worldwide relative search volumes (RSVs) covering a timeframe from before the COVID-19 pandemic 1 June 2019 to 27 April 2020. Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficients were used to measure relationships between daily confirmed cases and aforementioned RSVs between 31 December 2019 and 15 April 2020. RSV curves showed increased interest in multiple keywords related to dietary and lifestyle behaviors during the COVID-19 lockdown period in March and April 2020. Spearman’s correlation analysis showed that the strongest variables in each keyword category were (1) food security (food shortage: r = 0.749, food bank: r = 0.660, and free food: r = 0.555; all p < 0.001), (2) dietary behaviors (delivery: r = 0.780, restaurant: r = −0.731, take-away: r = 0.731, and food-delivery: r = 0.693; all p < 0.001), (3) outdoor-related behaviors (resort: r = −0.922, hotel: r = −0.913, cinema: r = −0.844, park: r = −0.827, fitness: r = −0.817, gym: r = −0.811; plant: r = 0.749, sunbathing: r = 0.668, and online: r = 0.670; all p < 0.001), and (4) immune-related nutrients/herbs/foods (vitamin C: r = 0.802, vitamin A: r = 0.780, zinc: r = 0.781, immune: r = 0.739, vitamin E: r = 0.707, garlic: r = 0.667, omega-3 fatty acid: r = −0.633, vitamin D: r = 0.549, and turmeric: r = 0.545; all p < 0.001). Restricted movement has affected peoples’ dietary and lifestyle behaviors as people tend to search for immune-boosting nutrients/herbs and have replaced outdoor activities with sedentary indoor behaviors. Full article