Food Delivery: What the Consumer Survey Shows

In the Food Standards Agency’s Food and You 2 Wave 9 survey, 55% of adults had ever ordered food through a delivery company. The survey covered England, Wales and Northern Ireland in April–July 2024. This measures experience of using a channel, rather than regular use, market value or a platform’s share of orders.

Key Facts & Figures

  • 55% had ever ordered through a food delivery company in Wave 9
  • 60% had ever ordered directly through a restaurant, takeaway or café website
  • 27% had ever ordered food through an online marketplace
  • 17% had ever used a food-sharing app
  • 7% had ever ordered food through social media
  • 5,526 adults took part in Wave 9
  • 3,908 households were represented in that survey
  • 16 and over was the age range surveyed
  • April–July 2024 was the Wave 9 fieldwork period
  • Three nations: England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Scotland was outside this survey
  • Multiple channels: respondents could have used more than one ordering method
  • Ever ordered: these percentages do not describe weekly or monthly usage
  • 55% had checked a food hygiene rating in the previous year in the later Wave 11 survey
  • 92% had seen the food hygiene rating sticker in Wave 11
  • May–August 2025 was Wave 11’s fieldwork period, published in September 2026
  • 14 allergen groups require information when used as ingredients
  • Two stages: allergen information for distance sales is required before purchase and on delivery
  • 28 days: register a new food business with the local authority at least this long before trading

How Customers Order Food

The survey distinguishes ordering channels. Its figures cannot be used to rank individual delivery platforms:

  • Delivery companies: apps or websites arranging orders from food businesses; the 55% survey figure combines this channel.
  • Direct ordering: a restaurant or takeaway’s own website, used at some time by 60% of respondents.
  • Online marketplaces: a separate category, used at some time by 27% of respondents.
  • Food-sharing and social channels: these have different business models and safety arrangements; their survey percentages are not market shares.

Dark Kitchens and Food Safety

A delivery-only kitchen still needs to operate as a food business. Customers should be able to identify the business preparing their meal and obtain accurate safety information.

  • Registration: delivery-only premises must be registered with the relevant local authority before trading.
  • Business identity: use accurate business details so customers and the authority can identify the operation.
  • Food safety management: control hazards through documented procedures appropriate to the activities carried out.
  • Hygiene ratings: check the relevant premises on the official rating service; ratings assess hygiene, rather than taste or nutritional quality.
  • Delivery arrangements: choose packaging, transport and journey controls that keep food safe and protect it from contamination.

Food Safety in the Delivery Context

The food business should plan the entire journey from preparation to handover, including what happens if delivery is delayed.

  • Temperature control: keep food at safe temperatures during transport. The usual hot-holding benchmark is 63°C or above; permitted time controls must be managed under the applicable rules, rather than treated as unlimited exceptions.
  • Cross-contamination: use suitable closed packaging and separate raw food, ready-to-eat food and orders with specific allergen requirements.
  • Allergen communication: provide the required ingredient-allergen information before the customer buys and again when the food arrives.
  • Delivery instructions: make responsibilities, hygiene procedures and temperature controls clear to everyone involved in transporting the food.

Written by Food Safety Experts

This article was created by the team at Level 2 Food Hygiene, dedicated to promoting food safety and public health across the UK. Rising delivery costs and pricing pressures continue to impact the sector.

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Mark McShane
Mark McShane
Health & Safety Training Specialist, Online CPD Academy

Mark writes about food safety, food hygiene and accredited online training for Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate, part of Online CPD Academy.