IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v22y2025i9p1448-d1752263.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Access to Food Establishments via Meal Delivery Applications: A Study of University and Non-University Settings in a Brazilian Metropolis

Author

Listed:
  • Paloma Aparecida Anastacio Barros

    (Department of Nutrition, Nursing School, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Brazil)

  • Daniela Silva Canella

    (Department of Applied Nutrition, Institute of Nutrition, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro 20550-013, Brazil)

  • Paula Martins Horta

    (Department of Nutrition, Nursing School, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Brazil)

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize access to food establishments through a meal delivery application in university and non-university settings within a Brazilian metropolis. This cross-sectional study used data from a leading meal delivery platform. All establishments delivering to four public and four private university campuses in Belo Horizonte, Brazil were identified. For comparison, one corresponding non-university location was selected for each campus (yielding eight campus–location pairs). Each location corresponds to a central address within the paired neighborhood that was entered into the app to simulate delivery availability. Pairing criteria were based on geographic region and income levels. Information on establishment categories (classified by keywords), delivery distances, delivery fees, and geographic centrality was collected and analyzed descriptively. The number of available establishments ranged from 7176 to 11,440 across the assessed locations. Most establishments were categorized under keywords referring to snacks (e.g., burgers, savory snacks, pizza), regardless of location. Delivery distances ranged from 0 to 19.6 km, with shorter distances observed for university addresses and corresponding locations situated in central neighborhoods of the city, and longer distances for peripheral areas. Only 4.7% of establishments offered free delivery, and higher delivery fees were more frequent in non-university locations. No significant differences were observed between public and private universities. Food establishments are widely accessible via the app; however, central areas tend to have broader service coverage. Regardless of whether the location is a university or non-university setting, or whether it is central or peripheral, there is a predominance of establishments classified under keywords associated with unhealthy food options.

Suggested Citation

  • Paloma Aparecida Anastacio Barros & Daniela Silva Canella & Paula Martins Horta, 2025. "Access to Food Establishments via Meal Delivery Applications: A Study of University and Non-University Settings in a Brazilian Metropolis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 22(9), pages 1-13, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:9:p:1448-:d:1752263
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/9/1448/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/9/1448/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nongnuch Jindarattanaporn & Inthira Suya & Lara Lorenzetti & Surasak Kantachuvesiri & Thaksaphon Thamarangsi, 2023. "Nutritional Content of Popular Menu Items from Online Food Delivery Applications in Bangkok, Thailand: Are They Healthy?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-14, February.
    2. Patrícia Maria Périco Perez & Maria Eduarda Ribeiro José & Isabella Fideles da Silva & Ana Cláudia Mazzonetto & Daniela Silva Canella, 2024. "Changes in Availability and Affordability on the University Food Environment: The Potential Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(12), pages 1-10, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wendy Jannette Ascencio-López & María Teresa Zayas-Pérez & Ricardo Munguía-Pérez & Guadalupe Virginia Nevárez-Moorillón & Manuel Huerta-Lara & María del Carmen Guadalupe Avelino-Flores & Teresa Soleda, 2025. "Food Security in a College Community: Assessing Availability, Access, and Consumption Patterns in a Mexican Context," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 22(9), pages 1-16, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:9:p:1448-:d:1752263. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.