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Evaluating policy and industry-based interventions for healthier online food-away-from-home choices: A scoping review

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  • Caputo, Vincenzina
  • Sun, Jiayu
  • Van Loo, Ellen J.

Abstract

The rapid digital transformation of the food-away-from-home (FAFH) sector has redefined how consumers access and select meals. Digital delivery platforms such as Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Meituan have become influential market intermediaries, shaping the nutritional landscape of food environments and raising concerns about their healthfulness. This study reviews empirical evidence on policy-based and industry-led interventions aimed at improving dietary outcomes in digital FAFH environments. Following PRISMA guidelines and using machine-learning–assisted screening (ASReview), 37 peer-reviewed studies were identified across four domains: nutritional labeling, fiscal measures, food-assistance programs, and digital nudges or decision-support tools. Findings indicate that although traditional food-policy instruments designed for physical food environments can be adapted to digital contexts, their effects remain modest and context specific. Industry-led interventions, such as menu reordering, healthier defaults, and real-time basket feedback, show encouraging effects on meal quality and calorie reduction when integrated into online platform design. Opportunities also exist to embed digital policies and personalized decision aids within platform interfaces, providing scalable mechanisms for nutrition governance. Yet regulatory ambiguity, limited transparency, and profit-oriented design incentives constrain their reach. Cross-country disparities in market structure, investment, and institutional capacity further restrict policy diffusion, with most evidence drawn from high-income economies. The review calls for governance frameworks that treat digital food-delivery platforms not as passive outlets but as active infrastructures for public-health policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Caputo, Vincenzina & Sun, Jiayu & Van Loo, Ellen J., 2025. "Evaluating policy and industry-based interventions for healthier online food-away-from-home choices: A scoping review," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:137:y:2025:i:c:s0306919225002118
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.103006
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