There is a major consumer shift to purchasing meals and groceries through third-party delivery (TPD) platforms. This shift is becoming explosive under pandemic conditions and may change consumer behavior long term. Once the shift has gone mainstream, it seems inevitable that online purchasing and public health issues will coincide. While few if any statistics around foodborne illnesses¹ have been linked to TPD platforms, emerging correlations of their activities will inevitably draw consumer and government attention to the following:
In this article, we discuss the following aspects of the above dilemma and possible solutions: