Defining, identifying and regulating dark kitchens in the North of England: Perspectives from consumer, local authority and food business stakeholders. [Abstract only]

Dark kitchens – technology-enabled commercial kitchen(s) operating primarily for delivery, to fulfil remote, on demand, consumer online orders of food for immediate consumption – are a contemporary addition to the food environment. Often serving foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS), there are growing concerns around the impact of these food businesses on prevalence of obesity and the wider determinants of health, with paucity of guidelines, regulation and oversight of the dark kitchen sector. This work explored the perceptions of and current practice around dark kitchens and the regulatory environment from multiple stakeholder perspectives, including consumers (n = 2,023), and those working in local authorities (n = 36) and the food sector (n = 9). The project applied mixed methods approaches, utilising a cross-sectional survey with consumers and a series of interviews and focus groups across participant groups, to explore the definition, identification and regulation of dark kitchens. Whilst most (n = 26, 72%) participants working in local authority teams were aware of dark kitchens, consumers were less aware of these businesses (n = 496, 25%). Results show confusion and inconsistencies in the way that consumers, local authority departments and other stakeholders define and identify dark kitchens. There are also inconsistencies in how local authorities regulate dark kitchens, partly as “they do sort of go under the radar a little bit and they’re very difficult to find…” (participant working in environmental health), resulting in current nutrition and obesity policy being difficult to implement. As such, understanding of the impact dark kitchens are having on public health is limited: “What we’re trying to do is make our environments healthier […] with our takeaway guidance, we look at proximity to schools, child obesity, deprivation, proliferation […] impact on the health and well-being of the population […] but it’s a completely different story with online deliveries...” (participant working in public health). Where local authorities worked cross-departmentally, a more consistent approach to regulating dark kitchens was observed. The potential risks of dark kitchens to food safety, food hypersensitivities and public health agendas are not fully known and warrant further research and policy development.