Food delivery apps aren't required to list calorie data
Food delivery apps make lunch and dinner easy.
“Sometimes to just go ahead and eat at home, I’ll order takeout, that way I don’t have to do dishes, I don’t have to find ingredients,” said Karla Peralta, a busy mom.
But if you order food on those apps, you may not be able to find how many calories your meal is.
The Food and Drug Administration requires restaurants with 20 or more locations to post calorie counts for standard items on menus, both in the restaurant and online. But, that same nutritional information doesn’t always get transferred to menus on third-party delivery service sites, like DoorDash, UberEats and Grubhub.
“As online ordering and the use of third party delivery apps exploded during the pandemic, suddenly that info isn’t as easy for consumers to find,” said Catherine Roberts, science journalist with Consumer Reports.
Consumer advocates with the Center for Science in the Public Interest are calling for federal regulations on these food delivery apps to help consumers make informed choices about what they chose to eat.
Uber and Doordash told Consumer Reports that they give restaurants control over menu and nutrition information on their respective apps. Grubhub says it is actively working on new ways to help consumers make informed choices.
Experts say this could be part of the reason why people have gained weight during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Several studies have found that consumers make healthier choices when shown calorie and nutritional information before deciding on what to eat.
The FDA has said it would not be forcing delivery apps to put nutritional information on its menu.
Roberts says it’s worth our health to check nutritional info on a restaurant’s website when we use delivery apps because the information can be eye-opening.
One sure way to cut calories, especially since portions are often large, is to save half of your meal for later. Another way is to purchase meals that include vegetables, whole grains or beans.
