When you order food through an app, how much do you know about where you’re purchasing from? This could be a restaurant on the local high street, or one located in a warehouse on a faraway industrial estate.

Some orders come from delivery-only businesses commonly known as dark kitchens. They are defined as technology-enabled commercial kitchens that operate primarily through online delivery platforms, preparing food for immediate consumption in response to on-demand orders.

They already account for about 15% of food retailers listed on three major delivery platforms in England. Their delivery-only model can reduce overheads, remove the need for public dining space and allow businesses to operate from more flexible locations.

There are, however, growing concerns around how “dark” these kitchens really are. A recent Sun investigation reported poor food-hygiene standards and suspected illegal working at one multi-kitchen site. The report did acknowledge that many dark kitchens meet the required standards. So, how much do we really know about these businesses?

Our research suggests consumers are generally unaware of what dark kitchens are. In our survey of 2,023 UK adults, only 25% had heard of them and 9% said they had knowingly bought food from one.

Adding to the confusion, these businesses are inconsistently named. Dark, ghost,........

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