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Dark kitchen is a delivery-only restaurant that operates without direct contact with the consumer, has no premises for local consumption and sells exclusively through online platforms. The main objective of this work is to identify and characterise dark kitchens in three urban centres featured in the most used food delivery app in Brazil. To this end, data collection was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, through data mining, we collected information from restaurants in three cities (Limeira, Campinas and São Paulo - Brazil) that were provided in the food delivery app. A total of 22,520 establishments were searched from the central point of each of the cities. In the second phase, the first 1,000 restaurants in each city were classified as dark kitchens, standard, or undefined restaurants. A thematic content analysis was conducted to further distinguish the dark kitchen models. Of the restaurants evaluated, 1,749 (65.2%) were classified as standard restaurants, 727 (27.1%) as dark kitchens, and 206 (7.7%) as undefined. In terms of the characteristics of dark kitchens, they were more dispersed and located further away from the central points compared to standard restaurants. Meals in dark kitchens were cheaper than in standard restaurants, and had a lower number of user reviews. Most of the dark kitchens in São Paulo served Brazilian dishes, while in the smaller cities, Limeira and Campinas, it was mainly snacks and desserts. Six different models of dark kitchen were identified: Independent dark kitchen; shell-type (hub); franchise; virtual kitchen in a standard restaurant (different menu); virtual kitchen in a standard restaurant (similar menu but different name); and home-based dark kitchen. The modelling approach and methodology used to classify and identify dark kitchens is considered a contribution to science as it allows a better understanding of this fast growing sector of the food industry. This in turn can help to develop management strategies and policies for the sector. Our study is also of value to regulators to determine their proliferation through urban planning and to promote appropriate guidelines for dark kitchens as they differ from standard restaurants.

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OBJECTIVE: To describe the promotion of food and beverage and marketing strategies used by online food delivery services (OFDS) in a social media platform before and during the pandemic in Brazil. DESIGN: Publicly available data were extracted from OFDS Instagram accounts. Posts published 6 months immediately before and after the first case of COVID-19 in Brazil were randomly sampled. Two independent authors coded the posts' content. Food and beverage items featured in posts were classified according to the NOVA food system classification. Marketing strategies were coded according to protocols from previous studies. SETTING: Top three OFDS Instagram accounts in Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: Posts published in the period studied (n 304). RESULTS: During the pandemic, the proportion of posts featuring at least one food item decreased from 71·6 % to 40·2 %, and the proportion of ultra-processed foods decreased from 57·6 % to 27·9 %. Before the pandemic, the most widely used marketing strategies were branding elements (80·7 %), product imagery (unbranded) (48·9 %) and partnerships/sponsorship (35·2 %). While during the pandemic, branding elements (62·2 %) continued to be the most applied, but were followed by the use of videos/graphics interchange format/boomerangs (34·1 %) and corporate social responsibility (31·7 %). The most frequent COVID-19 marketing strategies were 'social responsibility in the pandemic' (30·5 %), 'combatting the pandemic' (28·0 %) and 'accelerating digitalisation' (20·7 %). CONCLUSIONS: OFDS advertisements on a social media platform placed less emphasis on food items, but improved the nutritional quality of foods and beverages featured in posts. A COVID-washing approach was highlighted, especially through the use of social responsibility marketing during the pandemic.

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Resumo A pandemia de covid-19 agravou as situações de renda, fome, desemprego e informalidade provocados pela Reforma Trabalhista de 2017 e pelo desmonte de políticas sociais, levando muitos trabalhadores ao ramo da entrega de comida sem direitos ou garantias de proteção. Este trabalho procurou investigar as condições de trabalho e o impacto na saúde e qualidade de vida de entregadores de comida de Curitiba/PR, de acordo com as categorias de entrega, durante a pandemia de covid-19. Foi realizada pesquisa de campo em 10 points de entrega, seguindo a lógica da saturação de discursos, com o auxílio de instrumento de pesquisa com perguntas semiestruturadas. Paradoxalmente, apesar da menção a vários aspectos negativos das condições de trabalho, a qualidade de vida foi percebida como positiva por grande parte dos entregadores, sendo associada à possiblidade de trabalho e retorno financeiro. Os aspectos negativos das condições de trabalho e seus impactos na saúde e qualidade de vida foram sentidos com mais intensidade por entregadores de aplicativo. Esses achados trazem a necessidade de aprofundamento da discussão das condições de trabalho nos novos arranjos contemporâneos e precarizados e seus impactos na saúde dos trabalhadores, a partir de diferentes contextos e categorias de trabalhadores.

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic aggravated the scenario of low income, hunger, unemployment, and informality generated by the 2017 Labor Reform and the dismantling of social policies, leading many workers to enter the food delivery business that misses labor rights or protection. Thus, this study aimed at investigating how such working conditions impacted food delivery workers' health and quality of life in Curitiba, Brazil, during the pandemic according to delivery categories. Field research, based on saturation of discourse, was conducted in 10 delivery points using a semi-structured instrument. Despite mentioning several negative aspects regarding working conditions, most delivery workers perceived a positive quality of life, mainly associated with the possibility of work and financial return. App-based delivery workers felt more intensely the negative impacts on health and quality of life. These findings point to the need for further discussions on how these new contemporary and precarious labor arrangements impact occupational health in different contexts and categories.

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Dark kitchens are restaurants with no storefronts, no direct customer interaction and delivery-only commercial kitchens that rent out shared or private kitchen spaces to food businesses. The objective of this study is to determine consumers' knowledge about dark kitchens and the factors that influence willingness to pay and intention to purchase meals in this restaurant model. It were surveyed 623 Brazilian consumers. First, consumers' knowledge of the term dark kitchen was determined using specific questions. Then, consumers were presented with the actual meaning of dark kitchens and were asked about their intention to use this restaurant model. To this end, participants were presented with 25 indicators to assess the following constructs: willingness to pay and purchase intention, trust in health authorities, trust in food delivery app, perceived food safety, quality control, consumer experience, and solidarity with the foodservice sector. Overall, 73.4 % of participants reported having heard of the term dark kitchen. Using a descending hierarchical classification, four classes of definitions were found. The factor solidarity with the foodservice sector (ß = 0.440; p < 0.001) had the greatest positive influence on willingness to pay and purchase intention, followed by perceived food safety (ß = 0.273; p < 0.001); quality control (ß = 0.125; p = 0.003); consumer experience (ß = 0.110; p = 0.002) and trust in health authorities (ß = 0.059; p = 0.047). Even if consumers cannot accurately describe what a dark kitchen is, there is a positive intention to purchase food produced in this kitchen model. It is important to develop strategies to promote and improve dark kitchen models. Finally, it is suggested that health authorities and app operators pay more attention to improving food safety in these establishments, as consumers have low risk perception about them.

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OBJECTIVE: To analyse food advertised on an online food delivery (OFD) platform during 16 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. DESIGN: Longitudinal study. We randomly selected foods advertised on the OFD app's home page, classifying the food items into water; natural juices and smoothies; vegetables; fruits; traditional meals and pasta; ultra-processed beverages; ice cream and candies, and salty packaged snacks; sandwiches; savoury snacks; and pizza. We also registered the marketing strategies used to promote the food items, such as photos, discounts, 'combo deals', and messages on healthiness, value for the money, tastiness, and pleasure. SETTING: Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: 1,593 food items. RESULTS: In general, the OFD platform most commonly promoted traditional meals and pasta, ultra-processed beverages, and sandwiches-these food groups were offered 20-25% of the time during the 16 weeks. There were no promotions for water during the whole period, and the least common promotions were those for natural juices and smoothies, vegetables, and fruits (<5%). The most common food promotion strategies were photos (>80%) and discounts (>95%), while approximately 30% of the offers featured combo deals. Messages on tastiness, pleasure, and value for the money varied from 15% to 40%. CONCLUSION: Although the OFD platform offered traditional meals and pasta, most of the foods and beverages advertised were unhealthy and promoted with persuasive strategies. This finding highlights a growing public health concern: an increase in unhealthy eating patterns during the pandemic.

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AIM: COVID-19 pandemic has posed an unprecedented pressure on health systems and economies worldwide. Delivery services have grown as an alternative source of revenue for many people. Consumers generally perceive that delivery services are safer than going into a restaurant, because they reduce exposure to other people and their risk of SARS-CoV-2 contagion. There are no studies analyzing viral load or the burden of COID-19 within this population. This study aims to describe the presence of SARS-CoV-2 among food delivery riders in the city of Quito, Ecuador. STUDY DESIGN: From July and August 2020, bike and motorbike riders self-employed in two of the main online delivery services in Quito, Ecuador, were invited for RT-PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 detection during the compulsory lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) RT-qPCR Diagnostic Panel was used to identify the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal swabs. All samples were processed in the BSL2 certified molecular biology laboratory at Universidad de Las Americas. RESULTS: A total of 22 out of 145 delivery workers (15.2%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The majority of workers were men (n = 138), the average age of male workers was 32 years-old (±7.3) and 38 years-old (± 10.6) for females. The presence of mild symptoms was reported in only 9 subjects (6%). The calculated viral load was higher among males with 1.31E+08 copies/mL vs 2.30E+06 in females, although this difference was not statistically significant (p value: 0.68, [CI: -53 to -79]). CONCLUSIONS: The self-employed food delivery riders have a high incidence rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection in relation to the national average. It is important to point out that this is the first study of its kind in Latin-American and probably one of the very few in the world. The results emphasize the need for policy makers to look at the pandemic from as many population's sub-groups as possible. Delivery riders are a highly moving population that offer their services to a wide range of clients, including vulnerable populations such as the elderly or those less likely to leave their house for basic needs stoking.

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OBJECTIVE: Food delivery apps represent an important and emerging dimension of the digital food environment. This study aimed to examine food availability and the use of marketing strategies by two food delivery apps in a Brazilian metropolis. DESIGN: An exploratory study was conducted in the city of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Food groups were identified and the use of price discounts and photos by the apps was observed. SETTING: Eighteen neighbourhoods and the ten best rated restaurants in each app. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred sixty-two commercial food establishments. RESULTS: The proportion of ultra-processed beverages on offer in the apps (78·45 %) was much higher in comparison with water (48·89 %), natural juices or smoothies (27·07 %). Ultra-processed ready-to-eat meals represented almost 70 % of the food offered in the establishments' menus, while traditional meals and vegetables represented just over 30 % of the offering. Ice cream, candies and salty packaged snacks were nine times more frequently presented than fruits. The use of photos and price discounts prevailed predominantly among ultra-processed beverages, sandwiches and ice cream, candies and salty packaged snacks. These marketing strategies were least used for promoting fruits and vegetables. CONCLUSIONS: Restaurants registered on food delivery apps offered a significant amount of ultra-processed foods with price discounts and photos in comparison with unprocessed and minimally processed foods.

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Online food delivery services like Just Eat and Grubhub facilitate online ordering and home delivery of food prepared away-from-home. It is poorly understood how these services are used and by whom. This study investigated the prevalence of online food delivery service use and sociodemographic characteristics of customers, in and across Australia, Canada, Mexico, the UK, and the USA. We analyzed online survey data (n = 19,378) from the International Food Policy Study, conducted in 2018. We identified respondents who reported any online food delivery service use in the past 7 days and calculated the frequency of use and number of meals ordered. We investigated whether odds of any online food delivery service use in the past 7 days differed by sociodemographic characteristics using adjusted logistic regression. Overall, 15% of respondents (n = 2929) reported online food delivery service use, with the greatest prevalence amongst respondents in Mexico (n = 839 (26%)). Online food delivery services had most frequently been used once and the median number of meals purchased through this mode of order was two. Odds of any online food delivery service use were lower per additional year of age (OR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.94, 0.95) and greater for respondents who were male (OR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.35, 1.66), that identified with an ethnic minority (OR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.38, 1.78), were highly educated (OR: 1.66; 95% CI: 1.46, 1.90), or living with children (OR: 2.71; 95% CI: 2.44, 3.01). Further research is required to explore how online food delivery services may influence diet and health.

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We evaluated the productive chain of fish consumed in the State of Bahia using Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). We estimated the inputs and outputs from logistics and fish processing. For every kg of processed and transported fish we calculated the Global Warming Potential (GWP) based on the amount of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) given in kg of CO2eq, as follows: 0.020 electricity; 0.003 water consumption; 0.002 wastewater; 0.160 and 1.495 waste from the gutted and filleted fish, respectively; 0.871 and 1.007 refrigerated transportation of gutted and filleted fish, respectively. The sum of GHG emissions were 1.058 and 2.592 kg of CO2eq per kg of gutted and filleted fish, respectively. LCA results indicate that it is possible to reduce the GWP associated with refrigerated transportation by increasing local fish production and decreasing importation, especially given the available water potential of Bahia. However, to achieve a sustainable production it is imperative to adopt and also develop technologies that promote environmental impact reduction from solid residues.(AU)

Avaliamos a cadeia produtiva do pescado consumido no Estado da Bahia utilizando a Análise de Ciclo de Vida (ACV). Estimamos os consumos e emissões associados à logística e ao processamento do peixe. O Potencial de Aquecimento Global (PAG) foi calculado com base na quantidade de Gases Efeito Estufa (GEE) indicadas por kg de CO2eq para cada kg de peixe processado foram: 0,020 - eletricidade; 0,003 consumo de água; 0,0029 efluentes; 0,160 e 1,495 resíduos sólidos para os peixes eviscerados e filetados, respectivamente, e 0,871 e 1,007 transporte refrigerado dos peixes eviscerados e filetados, respectivamente. O somatório do impacto das emissões de GEE foram 1,058 e 2,529 kg de CO2eq por kg de peixe eviscerado e filetado, respectivamente. Os resultados indicaram que é possível reduzir o PAG do transporte refrigerado com o aumento da produção local de peixe e redução das importações, especialmente considerando o potencial hídrico da Bahia. Entretanto, a produção sustentável requer a adoção e desenvolvimento de tecnologias para reduzir os impactos ambientais do tratamento dos resíduos sólidos da etapa de processamento.(AU)

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We evaluated the productive chain of fish consumed in the State of Bahia using Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). We estimated the inputs and outputs from logistics and fish processing. For every kg of processed and transported fish we calculated the Global Warming Potential (GWP) based on the amount of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) given in kg of CO2eq, as follows: 0.020 electricity; 0.003 water consumption; 0.002 wastewater; 0.160 and 1.495 waste from the gutted and filleted fish, respectively; 0.871 and 1.007 refrigerated transportation of gutted and filleted fish, respectively. The sum of GHG emissions were 1.058 and 2.592 kg of CO2eq per kg of gutted and filleted fish, respectively. LCA results indicate that it is possible to reduce the GWP associated with refrigerated transportation by increasing local fish production and decreasing importation, especially given the available water potential of Bahia. However, to achieve a sustainable production it is imperative to adopt and also develop technologies that promote environmental impact reduction from solid residues.

Avaliamos a cadeia produtiva do pescado consumido no Estado da Bahia utilizando a Análise de Ciclo de Vida (ACV). Estimamos os consumos e emissões associados à logística e ao processamento do peixe. O Potencial de Aquecimento Global (PAG) foi calculado com base na quantidade de Gases Efeito Estufa (GEE) indicadas por kg de CO2eq para cada kg de peixe processado foram: 0,020 - eletricidade; 0,003 consumo de água; 0,0029 efluentes; 0,160 e 1,495 resíduos sólidos para os peixes eviscerados e filetados, respectivamente, e 0,871 e 1,007 transporte refrigerado dos peixes eviscerados e filetados, respectivamente. O somatório do impacto das emissões de GEE foram 1,058 e 2,529 kg de CO2eq por kg de peixe eviscerado e filetado, respectivamente. Os resultados indicaram que é possível reduzir o PAG do transporte refrigerado com o aumento da produção local de peixe e redução das importações, especialmente considerando o potencial hídrico da Bahia. Entretanto, a produção sustentável requer a adoção e desenvolvimento de tecnologias para reduzir os impactos ambientais do tratamento dos resíduos sólidos da etapa de processamento.

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