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A by a team of international researchers spotlights the expanding influence of online food ordering and delivery and its social impacts.

The researchers, which include CUNY SPH faculty Nevin Cohen and CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute Director of Policy Rositsa Ilieva, say that while digital food services offer greater convenience, they also bring a series of complex social challenges that merit closer attention.

Published in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, the review synthesizes findings from over 50 recent research papers. The analysis reveals that the growth of online food shopping and delivery is profoundly reshaping not just consumer habits, but also labor dynamics and broader patterns of social equity.

The authors say that while digital platforms can help people better access healthy food, the overall picture is mixed. Many platform-based food workers remain classified as independent contractors, resulting in insecure jobs with few benefits and protections. This arrangement leaves many vulnerable to unpredictable schedules, lower pay, and increased physical and mental health risks.

Access to digital food services is far from universal. Lower-income households, residents in rural areas, and those with limited digital skills or access to technology often find themselves excluded from the same quality and convenience enjoyed by wealthier, urban, and digitally fluent consumers. The study also notes that digital platforms can contribute to unhealthy eating patterns by promoting easily available, calorie-rich foods and incentivizing impulsive orders through marketing strategies.

The convenience of these services can also come at a cost to sustainability, with increased packaging waste and traffic congestion from delivery vehicles.

The authors argue that these concerns highlight the need for careful design and policy intervention to ensure that digital food services become a positive force for social justice in food systems. They recommend urgent attention to equity-focused policies, such as ensuring fair labor standards, expanding digital infrastructure and access, and using platform design to encourage healthy and sustainable choices for all users.

"The digital transformation of food provisioning presents opportunities, but realizing a socially just and sustainable food system will require active involvement from policymakers, nonprofits, businesses, and communities alike," says Dr. Cohen.