A dark kitchen is nothing more than a shared space that is usually used by several or more catering establishments to prepare and distribute online orders. Is it safe? How much trust do customers using this type of service have in food regulators, food delivery apps or quality control? These parameters will be studied by researchers from Brazil, the UK and Poland as part of a project entitled 'Unraveling the dark kitchen: consumer perception, mapping and food safety profile', funded by the Brazilian institution FAPESP.

In recent years, takeaway-only restaurants, where food is ordered via online platforms, have become popular. The space beyond the virtual world is the kitchen - a rented premises, often shared.

How do consumers perceive the 'dark kitchen'? How do they approach food safety? These are just some of the questions that will be explored in a project entitled 'Unraveling the dark kitchen: consumer perception, mapping and food safety profile', funded by the Brazilian institution FAPESP.

- 'In this project, I will be responsible for studying young consumers in terms of their use of food-buying apps,' - says prof. dr hab. Małgorzata Wiśniewska from the Department of Quality and Environmental Management of the Faculty of Management UG, coordinator of the project on the Polish side. - 'The subject of the study will be consumers' knowledge and intentions regarding "dark kitchen" services. The following parameters will be assessed: willingness to pay and intention to buy, trust in food regulators, trust in food delivery applications, perceived food safety, quality control, consumer experience, solidarity with the food sector.'

The survey has an international, cross-cultural scope. It will cover nearly 1,000 consumers in each country - Brazil, the UK and Poland. The project duration is February 2023 - February 2025.

More about FAPESP: https://fapesp.br/en/about