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Characteristics of food establishments registered with a meal delivery app in Latin America

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2023

Juliana de Paula Matos Open the ORCID record for Juliana de Paula Matos [Opens in a new window] ,
Karen Carolina Martins Julião  and
Paula Martins Horta Open the ORCID record for Paula Martins Horta [Opens in a new window]
Juliana de Paula Matos
Affiliation:
Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Av. Alfredo Balena 190, 30130-100 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Karen Carolina Martins Julião
Affiliation:
Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Av. Alfredo Balena 190, 30130-100 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Paula Martins Horta*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Av. Alfredo Balena 190, 30130-100 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
*
*Corresponding author: Paula Martins Horta, email paulamhorta@gmail.com
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Abstract

Numerous studies have characterised the establishments registered with meal delivery apps (MDA) in several countries. However, little evidence is available regarding these platforms in Latin America (LA). The purpose of this study is to characterise food establishments registered with an MDA in nine LA cities. The establishments (n 3339) were characterised by the following keyword groups: ‘Typical cuisine’, ‘Meat and fish’, ‘Snacks’, ‘Breakfast’, ‘Desserts’ and ‘Healthy’. In addition, we identified the marketing strategies present in the establishments’ advertisements: photos, discounts and free delivery. Mexico City had the highest number of establishments registered with MDA (773), followed by Bogotá (655), Buenos Aires (567) and São Paulo (454). There is a direct relationship between the number of inhabitants of the cities and the number of the registered establishments. ‘Snacks’ was the keyword group most used by establishments in five of the nine cities. Establishments in two cities were most often characterised by the terms ‘Typical cuisine’ (Mexico City and Santiago de Chile) and ‘Meats and fish’ (Quito and San Jose). Photos were present in the advertisements of at least 84·0 % of the establishments. In addition, at least 40 % of establishments in Montevideo, Bogotá, São Paulo, Lima and Santiago de Chile offered discounts. Free delivery was present in at least 50 % of establishments in Quito, San Jose, Mexico City, Santiago de Chile and Lima. Photos were also the most common marketing strategy used by the establishments classified in all groups of keywords, while free delivery and discounts differed among them.

Keywords

Digital food environmentMeal delivery appsFood marketingRestaurantsLatin America
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 130 , Issue 12 , 28 December 2023 , pp. 2155 - 2161
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society

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