Availability of calorie information on online food delivery service platforms among major chain restaurants in Canadian provinces with different calorie labelling policies

ObjectiveThis study aimed to characterize the availability of calorie labelling on major online food delivery (OFD) platforms for the largest restaurant brands in Canada to examine differences in provinces with and those without mandatory calorie labelling regulations.MethodsData were collected for the 13 largest restaurant brands with locations in Ontario (with mandatory menu labelling) and Alberta and Quebec (with no mandatory menu labelling) from the web applications of the three largest OFD platforms in Canada. Data were sampled from three selected restaurant locations within each province (n = 117 locations across all provinces) on each platform. Univariate logistic regression models were used to test differences in the presence and amount of calorie labelling and other nutritional information across provinces and platforms.ResultsThe analytical sample included 48,857 food and beverage items (n = 16,011 in Alberta, n = 16,683 in Ontario, and n = 16,163 in Quebec). Items were more likely to have menu labelling in Ontario (68.7%) than in Alberta (44.4%, OR = 2.75, 95% CI 2.63-2.88) or Quebec (39.1%, OR = 3.42, 95% CI 3.27-3.58). In Ontario, 53.8% of restaurant brands had calorie labelling for > 90% of items, compared to 23.0% in Quebec and 15.4% in Alberta. The presence of calorie labelling also differed across platforms.ConclusionNutrition information from OFD services differed across provinces with and those without mandatory calorie labelling. Chain restaurants on OFD service platforms were more likely to provide calorie information in Ontario, where calorie labelling is mandatory, compared to elsewhere where no such policy exists. In all provinces, calorie labelling was inconsistently implemented across OFD service platforms.

Automated summary

This study examined the availability of calorie labelling on major online food delivery platforms for the largest restaurant brands in Canada, and compared the differences between provinces with and without mandatory calorie labelling regulations. The analysis included data from three selected restaurant locations within each province on each platform. The study found that calorie labelling was more common in Ontario (68.7%) compared to Alberta (44.4%) and Quebec (39.1%), and a higher percentage of restaurant brands in Ontario had calorie labelling for more than 90% of items compared to Quebec and Alberta.