A survey of meal delivery drivers for TakeAway, Deliveroo and PizzaHut conducted by VRT Radio 2’s consumer programme WinWin shows that too little importance is still attached to hygiene inside meal delivery bags used to transport food to customers. This is despite couriers being legally obliged to adhere to strict food safety rules.
Radio 2 listener Chris has questions concerning the hygiene inside meal couriers’ delivery bags: “Sometimes you see couriers cycling past with dirty bags. I wonder what they look like inside. Do they have to comply with food safety rules and are checks carried out to make sure they do?”.
Despite the fact that there are strict hygiene rules for meal delivery drivers, several striking testimonies have emerged after in survey by VRT Radio 2’s consumer programme ‘WinWin’.
In the 2 years that Luna worked for PizzaHut she never saw the meal delivery bags be cleaned. “I didn't think about it at the time, but looking back, it is strange.”. Jonas worked for Deliveroo for 5 years. He told WinWin that “Mould in the seams of the bags is no exception”
TakeAway’s delivery bags aren't always too clean either. An anonymous meal delivery driver the VRT that “I once used my delivery bag to transport a used fish tank, because it just happened to fit.”
The same rules as for restaurants
Hélène Bonte of the Federal Food Safety Agency says that “Like every other player in the food chain, meal delivery services have an important role to play in keeping food safe. They must ensure that meals remain at the right temperature, that there is no contamination and that the food arrives with the customer in good condition." She adds that the online platforms that take the orders and the delivery companies are responsible for food safety while the meals are in transit”.
These are the rules
The temperature of the food must be kept as constant as possible during transport. For cold dishes, it is best to use a cool bag with cooling elements. A small increase in temperature (max. 3°C) is permitted. The temperature must be kept at at least 60°C.
The cool bag itself must always be clean and dry. No food residues from previous deliveries may remain. The cool bag may only be used for food and must be cleaned after each shift.
Different types of food must be kept separate from each other to avoid cross-contamination
The courier must have sufficient knowledge or receive training concerning temperatures, how to handle food hygienically and how to clean equipment. In addition, personal hygiene is very important.
Inspections are rare
A survey of meal delivery drivers reveals that, in practice, compliance with hygiene rules is rarely monitored. “I know I should clean the delivery bag before and after my shift, but my employer has never checked my bag in all the years I've been working here” one meal courier told the VRT. ‘WinWin’ did not find a single courier or former courier that said that they are or had been strictly monitored for compliance with hygiene rules.
The Federal Food Safety Agency is responsible for ensuring compliance with hygiene rules. However, the Agency’s Hélène Bonte says that in practice, it is difficult for them to carry out thorough checks: “Without the police at our side, we are not allowed to stop meal couriers on bicycles or mopeds to check them” Instead the Federal Food Safety Agency focuses primarily on raising companies’ awareness of hygiene rules. “Companies are the ones that are really responsible for fostering a culture of hygiene within their organisation and making couriers sufficiently aware of good hygiene when delivering food”.
Companies are indignant, but don’t seem alarmed
‘WinWin’ contacted the industry federation Comeos. Comeos replied that "In the meal delivery sector, there are very strict training programmes on food safety and hygiene. There are clear protocols that state that couriers must check, clean and ventilate their delivery bag before, during and after their shift."
“Checks are carried out in so far that this is possible. It varies from company to company, as some work on a self-employed basis, but we assume that the majority of couriers take this into account.’
PizzaHut also responded to courier Lore's testimony. “We regret that this happened at that branch. Normally, the delivery bags are checked every day.”