Abstract
BACKGROUND: Online food retail use is rapidly increasing in popularity, and offers user-friendly apps, and new food delivery models, including online food delivery platforms, online grocery retailers, and online meal kit delivery. We aimed to: (1) quantify the prevalence of online food retail platform use by adults across Australia, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States, and to (2) assess the associations between sociodemographic and behavioural factors and use of online food retail platforms. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with adults as part of the 2022 International Food Policy Survey (n = 19,877). We described the frequency of use and number of meals ordered using different online food retail and delivery platforms. Logistic regression models were fitted to assess associations between the use of online food retail and delivery platforms, and sociodemographic and behavioural factors (including age, sex, household composition, BMI, income adequacy, ethnicity, cooking skills, nutrition knowledge, and frequency of food preparation). RESULTS: Online ordering was more prevalent in Mexico (72%), and in the United States (62%) in comparison with Australia, Canada, or the United Kingdom (45-56%). Overall, across all countries, 58% of participants used online retail and delivery platforms, most commonly online orders from restaurants (36% of participants), online supermarkets (28%), online meal kits (14%), online only grocery stores (11%), and online convenience stores (11%). The odds of using online restaurants was significantly higher for men (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.14-1.33) and participants aged 18-29 (compared to those 60 years or older) (OR: 6.10, 95% CI: 5.34-7.00). Participants aged 18-29 also had the highest odds of using online convenience stores (OR: 7.51, 95% CI: 5.71-9.88). Participants living with primary school aged children had higher odds of using online supermarkets compared to those without children (OR: 2.56, 95% CI: 2.22-2.94). CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of people are buying food online. Efforts to improve population diets need to ensure that online food retail platforms support good health and nutrition.