McDonald’s home delivery takes off across Australia – but health experts aren’t happy. http://t.co/ysVaOL8UrH pic.twitter.com/qr6rPvUFI4
— smh.com.au (@smh) August 6, 2014
Jane Martin of the Obesity Policy Coalition – established by health organisations including the Cancer Council Victoria and Diabetes Australia (Victoria) – described the roll out of home delivery by McDonald’s and Red Rooster as inevitable but “disappointing” saying Australians were already making poor diet choices.
She pointed to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data from 2011-2012 that showed 63.4 per cent of Australians aged 18 years and over were overweight or obese (comprised of 35 per cent overweight and 28.3 per cent obese) while recent Roy Morgan research put the number of overweight Australians at 11 million, and found they were overweight by an average of 16.5 kilograms.
“It sounds like [McDonald’s] have tested [home delivery] and it’s been working so they’re pushing it out more broadly,” Martin said. “Home delivery is another way of removing barriers for people and expanding their market.”
Martin said home delivery was particularly concerning because it appealed to families. “I think home delivery is most appealing for people without transport and people who want the convenience and that is families.”
A spokesperson for McDonald’s Australia said the company was responding to customer demand.