Platform economies, food delivery workers, and urban consumption behavior.
Qingming Festival is a time for ancestral worship and tomb-sweeping. This year it falls on4 April, which just happens to be404. This naturally brings to mind articles that have been marked404 not found. Last year, Foodthink saw several of its articles ‘disappear’ on its WeChat Official Account—the highest number to…
Foodthink Says “Humanity’s unsustainable production and consumption patterns are pushing the planet to the brink of disaster,” is the opening line used by the United Nations to introduce Zero Waste Day, observed annually on 30 March. For urban residents in China, the single-use plastic waste accumulating in daily life is…
At the press conference of the recent National People’s Congress, the National Health Commission proposed a three-year ‘Weight Management Year’ campaign. This initiative aims to guide society in cultivating habits that prioritise weight awareness, scientific nutrition, and exercise, fostering scientific weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. Everyone should take primary…
Foodthink says Was there ever a moment when you suddenly decided to stop ordering takeaway? On 1 March, Foodthink’s new column “Eat Something Good” opened a call for submissions for ‘100 Moments You Realise You Never Want to Order Takeout Again’, and we were inundated with responses from readers. As…
Advertised under the banner “zero delivery fees, meals from ¥10”, Meituan’s “Pin Hao Fan” has seen office workers flock to it, drawn by its aggressive low-price strategy. Though the saying “you get what you pay for” lingers in the public consciousness, sparking concerns over food safety, I’ve had my own…
I. The Australian Egg Shortage The first time I realised I could no longer afford eggs. For the New Year that had just passed, my family and I rented an Airbnb in Sydney, Australia, to ring in the celebrations. Being strangers to the area, we stuck to buying groceries from…
Recently, the news that delivery platforms have softened their stance and pledged to cover social security contributions for riders has sparked heated debate. Only time will tell how many couriers will actually stand to benefit, and whether this will genuinely improve their working conditions. In the latest episode of Foodthink’s…
Foodthink Says Unbeknownst to many, the dining habits of Chinese people, long proud of their rich food culture, are being profoundly reshaped by digital technologies driven by the internet, algorithms, and artificial intelligence. This transformation is most evident in the way food is consumed. According to media reports, 275 million…
In 2024, we received a wealth of books spanning food, agriculture, ecology, sustainability, and culture, each capturing the complexities and possibilities of our world in its own way. From hurried workers to contemporary grassland pastoralists, from the food politics behind foie gras to the diverse efforts safeguarding seeds, from the…
Foodthink says As delivery riders face exploitation and gruelling workloads, merchants struggle with exorbitant commissions, and consumers are served food without proper health safeguards, a growing number of people have begun to critique and scrutinise platform enterprises. Beyond mere criticism, however, can we envision an alternative platform model? What would…
