Use of food delivery apps in Canada up 7.4 per cent since 2020: survey

Many Canadians are clicking more and cooking less now that food delivery apps are at their fingertips.

A recent survey from Dalhousie University’s Agri-food Analytics Lab found the use of apps like UberEats and DoorDash has increased significantly across Canada.

The survey, in partnership with Caddle, found 27.4 per cent of Canadians now order through these platforms more than once a month. In 2020, that number was 20 per cent.

The Maritime provinces are lowest in the findings of the “Regular Food Delivery App Usage by Province in Canada.” New Brunswick residents sit at the highest in the Maritimes with 14.5 per cent using delivery apps regularly, followed by Nova Scotia at 12.6 per cent and P.E.I. with 9.6 per cent of residents using delivery apps regularly.

“I’m not sure these services are as developed as say in Quebec or Ontario or even in Alberta or B.C.,” said food expert Sylvain Charlebois.

“I think it’s demographics and the fact that food prices are actually higher in the Atlantic, so people are a little bit more careful with their food budget.”

The survey found nearly 58 per cent of Canadians either stopped using these apps or never adopted them. The main reason stated was costs.

However, although food costs have increased, according to the Agri-food Analytics Lab, “Canadians are showing a willingness to spend more not for the food itself, but to save time and increase convenience. Delivery, in this sense, is becoming a modern trade-off – where efficiency and comfort outweigh strict economic rationality.”

The Dalhousie survey found millennials and Gen Z are the biggest users of food delivery apps with 38.6 per cent of millennial regular users and 38.1 per cent of Gen Z users.

“Younger Canadians, despite having less disposable income, are more willing to allocate funds to delivery. For them, the smartphone is practically an organic extension of daily life,” a release from the Agri-food Analytics Lab reads.

The survey sited many college and university students use food delivery apps as it is often their first time living away from home and juggling schoolwork, social lives and part-time jobs can become overwhelming, especially during back-to-school season.

“Food literacy is a big issue in Canada, so if you’re basically seeing your phone as a replacement to your kitchen, that’s a challenge,” said Charlebois.

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