New data confirms concerns regarding food delivery apps

30/08/2021

Cancer Council WA have reiterated the need for West Aussies to steer clear of greasy takeaway ordered from food delivery apps, with new data by Pathmatics showing the top four fast-food delivery services in Australia have spent over $20 million on digital advertising since March 2020 (the start of the pandemic).

Earlier this year Cancer Council WA launched a new LiveLighter campaign targeting fast food delivery services to encourage West Australians to make quick, tasty and nutritious meals at home instead.

Quotes from Cancer Council WA’s Obesity Prevention Manager, Ainslie Sartori:

“The proliferation of meal delivery apps has made unhealthy food and drinks more accessible than ever before.

“There has been a meteoric rise in the number of Aussies ordering food via meal delivery apps over the last few years, with the report indicating UberEATS alone spent almost $10,500,000 purely on online or digital advertising. This does not include the large sums of money they also spend advertising on television.

“This massive expenditure is preying on people in vulnerable situations while in lockdown and contributing to the increase in weight gain.

“While meal delivery apps may try to emphasise their healthy offerings, we know that the great majority of meals ordered through these services are junk food, with the top meal suggestions often dominated by offerings from fast food chains.

“Fast food is loaded with sugar, salt, saturated and trans fats, while being low in fruit, vegies, fibre and wholegrains. It also tends to come in much bigger servings than we need.”

Cancer Council 13 11 20

ENDS

• LiveLighter is funded by the WA Department of Health and delivered by Cancer Council WA.
• More information is available via the website www.livelighter.com.au about how to make small lifestyle changes to improve people’s health.
• It is estimated that in Australia in 2010, almost 4,000 cancers cases were attributable to being above a healthy weight [1]
• In Western Australia in 2015, 7.8% of the total cancer burden was attributable to being above a healthy body weight, the second leading preventable risk factor for cancer behind tobacco use [2]
• The number of cancer cases attributable to being above a healthy weight is likely to grow over time as obesity rates continue to increase[3]

[1] Whiteman, 2015

[2] Dept of Health WA, 2020

[3] Pearson-Stuttard, 2018

To the editor: No “headless fatties” please

Being overweight comes with a lot of health issues. Some of these are related to the stigma that is attached to being above a healthy weight. We urge you to use images that are respectful, inclusive and non-stigmatising when reporting on issues related to body weight. For example, show people who are above a healthy weight participating in everyday activities that are not related to weight gain, and use images that include their faces. We are happy to provide you with suitable images if required.