Fancy food ain’t safe food: What US delivery drivers grub on food orders before you get them

CBS Local reports that with food delivery platforms like Uber Eats, GrubHub and Postmates bursting at the seams, we wanted to know what some delivery people were doing with your food before you took a bite.

One food delivery driver – whose identity is concealed – told CBSLA’s David Goldstein he’s heard drivers talk about helping themselves to your order.

“Taking sips of soda all the time….sticking a straw in it and drinking it and putting another top on it,” he said.

So Goldstein’s team set up hidden cameras in restaurants and watched as food delivery people came to pick up – many of whom walked out with open bags where they can easily taste your food.

Cameras caught one man pick up a delivery order at a Fatburger restaurant in North Hollywood. After he put the bag on the front seat of his car, he proceeded to eat what looks like French fries.

As he backs out, he appears to put another fry into his mouth.

He proceeded to make two deliveries within minutes. On the first, the driver was seen wiping his fingers on his leg and then appears to lick them clean in his mouth.

The second delivery was the Fatburger order to a house in North Hollywood.

Goldstein then showed the video to Naimie Ojeil, who said the order was for his teenage kids.

“Horrible, disgusting,” he said.

When Goldstein confronted the driver at a later date, he didn’t have much to say.

Cameras caught another driver pick up a delivery, placing the bag on the passenger seat in his car, and then a minute or so later, he moves the bag, puts his hand inside and grab some fries before he drives away.

But we have training and audits: Dirty crates and vans used to deliver food by Asda

Assif Majid of BBC News writes that Watchdog’s reporter was given no training on keeping delivery crates and vans clean.

The reporter witnessed spillages, but was told by senior drivers that there was no need to clear it up during the delivery round.

Asda says it has a “clean as you go” policy and staff get full training.

Both Asda employees and customers have contacted the consumer programme with allegations about the cleanliness of the store’s delivery crates.

One driver told the programme: “There’s no cleaning process in place. The crates are used over and over again, even after spillages. Most, if not all, are dirty, from food, and things like smashed eggs.”

Another driver told the programme they are so concerned about poor hygiene, they are worried about their own family eating food from the crates.

Asda said the findings were “isolated examples and the opinion of individual colleagues”.

It added: “The findings do not reflect the extensive policies and training they have in place, which are supported by independent third party audits.”

The supermarket also says Watchdog’s researcher did not receive the full role-specific training because he didn’t do enough shifts.

Chartered environmental health practitioner Barrie Trevena said: “Even if the food you’re putting in is wrapped, the packages then become contaminated and then when the customer handles the cans and the packages, then that’s going to contaminate their worktop and fridge.”

The company said it delivered almost half a million orders each week, using their totes more than 2.5 million times, and it was inaccurate and misleading to suggest that it did not have policies or training in place at a business level.

Inconceivable.

Are speedy delivery apps skimping on food safety?

Food services like UberEats and the New York-based Maple, which promise fresh meals in under 20 minutes could be compromising food safety? It’s an issue that health inspectors, particularly in Austin, Texas, have been grappling with. They just can’t keep up with the rates of delivery.

RAW_Uber-deliveryCurrently in Austin, pizza delivery drivers and other takeout services are not regulated as a restaurant would be, because delivering fresh food within minutes of making it gives the dish very little time to spoil.

“We are looking into some new apps that we have discovered in recent months,” said Vincent Delisi, the assistant division manager in the environmental health services division of the health department.

They will be checking if the kitchens in which these super-fast delivery services prepare food are up to snuff, or if the meals are being prepared in unauthorized kitchens. Most of these instantaneous food companies insist that they follow all health and safety procedures.

“Delivery drivers with UberEATS are equipped with temperature controlled containers and are offered guidance on best practices to preserve food temperature throughout the service window of 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.,” Uber spokesperson Debbee Hancock told KXAN News.