Food Safety Focus (180th Issue, July 2021) – Food Incident Highlight

Food Safety Issues of Food Delivery Agencies Providing Non-food Delivery Services

While door-to-door meal delivery is hotly trending, some food delivery agencies are upscaling their businesses by providing delivery services of non-food items such as detergents, batteries and stationeries. This practice, however, raises certain food safety concerns.

Packed together with non-food items, foods might risk contamination by microorganisms, the leakage or spillage of non-edible chemicals or foreign substances during transportation. Besides, delivering foods without time or temperature control can increase food safety risk. While minimally affecting non-food items, delivery without proper holding temperatures could lead to bacterial growth and deterioration in food.

To safeguard food safety, food delivery agencies should store food in clean and suitable containers in separate compartments from non-food entities to minimise contamination. A tight control and monitoring on the food storage temperature during delivery should be in place. For food delivery vehicles, if those vehicles or containers have been used for transporting anything other than food, thorough cleaning is required between loads to avoid the risk of contamination.