Food safety in dark kitchen
Research type
Research Study
Full title
‘Going dark’ or under the radar? Challenges and opportunities for local authorities and dark kitchens in ensuring food safety for the public
IRAS ID
336939
Contact name
Jan Soon Sinclair
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Central Lancashire
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
Research Summary
The use of food delivery apps is becoming more commonplace in people's everyday lives. COVID-19 had further accelerated the emergence of a new trend in the food industry: dark kitchens. Dark kitchen is a food preparation space that do not have a customer-facing store front, no spaces for dining-in and sells exclusively on food delivery online platform. However, the increasing number of new food businesses and ad-hoc food vendors operating in dark kitchens have made monitoring and oversight challenging. Our main research questions are: (i) How do Local Authorities identify dark kitchens? (ii) What are the challenges and opportunities for food safety inspections in dark kitchens? In this study, we will use publicly available online data such as online food platforms, food hygiene rating scheme and Google® Street View to identify, cross-check and classify possible dark kitchens. We will then conduct an online survey with more than 150 local authority officials follow by two focus group discussions to understand how LA officials in England identify their local dark kitchens and if they faced any problems during food safety inspections. We will also interview up to 15 dark kitchen owners and tenants to determine what opportunities or challenges are in place to implement food safety standards in their businesses. Our results could be used by local authorities and dark kitchen owners and tenants to address food safety issues in dark kitchens.
Summary of Results
This study aims to assess the challenges in identifying and regulating dark kitchens, and to identify potential interventions to increase food safety compliance in dark kitchens by working with local authorities and dark kitchen owners and tenants. Dark kitchens (DKs) are food services that offer ready-to-eat meals for delivery or takeout through online platforms, including social media, mobile applications, restaurant websites or via phone/email. They may or may not have a storefront but do not offer a space for on-site dining. A mixed-method study involving a cross-sectional survey (n=123) and two focus group discussions with 16 Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) and 16 semi-structured interviews with dark kitchen owners and tenants were conducted in England. More than 75% of EHOs have inspected a dark kitchen and faced challenges when it comes to identifying the dark kitchens. Over 60% of the EHOs were not able to proactively search for unregistered dark kitchens in their local authorities, but instead rely on customer complaints, tip-offs from other businesses or complaints from the neighbourhoods before they become aware of their existence. The challenges encountered by EHOs in identifying and inspecting dark kitchens; including resource constraints, lack of dark kitchens’ visibility, multiple trading names, insufficient guidance from regulatory body, communication difficulties, difficult working conditions in some dark kitchens and problems identifying where responsibility lies. Meanwhile, from the dark kitchen perspectives, their primary reasons for choosing this model include affordability, flexibility, and convenience. Social media platforms and online aggregators are essential for dark kitchens to advertise their food. However, some inconsistencies between different online aggregators occur when onboarding. A key issue raised by participants were the challenges of managing food safety and hygiene practices in shared spaces where several food businesses utilise the same space or resources. Other challenges faced when operating the dark kitchen model include competition, dependence on online aggregators, commission fees, and lack of visibility. In conclusion, the dark kitchen model presents both advantages and challenges for dark kitchen operators. While it offers cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and convenience, it also presents its own set of challenges. This study indicates that more needs to be done to ensure that the inevitable growth of dark kitchens are accompanied by effective food safety measures. Although this study specifically looked at dark kitchens, the findings do not mean that dark kitchens’ food safety standards are lower than other food businesses. The operating model of dark kitchens poses different challenges due to shared kitchen spaces, multiple trading names and sporadic operational times. Our study proposed the following recommendations:
i) Provide information such as whether they are known by other trading names during registration.
ii) Provide comprehensive and specific guidance tailored to the unique operational structure of dark kitchens such as guidance around multiple, shared units in the same premises or different operating times.
iii) Provision of support for LAs and dark kitchens through increasing number of EHOs, resources and training of dark kitchens.
iv) Engage with online aggregators for information sharing and verification.
v) Engage with delivery drivers and/or third-party delivery company to ensure food safety practices.
These recommendations provide a unique perspective based on the lived experience of EHOs and dark kitchens and emphasise that gaps do exist in the current state of food safety practices of dark kitchens. Implementing such recommendations can offer more control to this new but rapidly evolving sector of the food industry.REC name
London - Fulham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/PR/0280
Date of REC Opinion
15 Mar 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion