A few weeks ago, many of us read about the remarkable story of Amoke Oge, a food vendor who earned ₦2.3 billion in revenue after completing over 500,000 deliveries through Chowdeck, one of Nigeria’s leading food delivery platforms. Her achievement is a testament to how technology can transform small food businesses and extend their reach to thousands of customers. It also reflects the accelerating growth of digital food marketplaces across Africa.
Amoke’s story is inspiring, yet it raises an important question: in a sector growing this rapidly, estimated to reach over $23 billion dollars by 2030, are we doing enough to ensure the safety and quality of the food being delivered?
This question came into sharper focus during a recent Uber ride. As I waited, I checked the app: the driver’s name, the car’s make and model, the license plate number, and a five-star rating were all there. Uber had conducted due diligence before that car was ever listed. It had passed mandatory inspections and was subject to periodic re-inspections to ensure roadworthiness. These checks go beyond statutory government licences; they are enforced by the platform as part of its brand promise and risk management strategy.
Now contrast that with how most food is delivered. In many African cities, food delivery platforms connect consumers to meals prepared in kitchens that may not have been inspected for food safety and hygiene. Often, the vendors have not received formal training in food hygiene, and there is little visibility into how meals are handled, packaged, or stored. Consumers have no way of knowing if the food they are ordering meets even the most basic safety standards.
Read also: How EatUp Nigeria is redefining, charting new course for food delivery business
Unlike transportation, where a poorly maintained vehicle may cause inconvenience or delay, unsafe food can lead to illness or worse. Moreover, in the race for speed and convenience, food safety can become a casualty. In the delivery business, fast service is often the most celebrated metric. But anyone familiar with the food industry knows that speed, without the right safety protocols, can come at a cost.
In more developed markets, food safety is embedded in digital delivery models. In the United Kingdom, for example, Deliveroo and Uber Eats display official hygiene ratings from the Food Standards Agency directly on their platforms. Food delivery services are required to verify vendor documentation, include allergen disclosures, and respond to food-related complaints, not just delivery issues. These practices are gradually becoming the standard, driven by both regulation and platform accountability.
Africa may not yet have the infrastructure or policy frameworks to replicate these systems entirely, but we can start by taking a few practical steps. First, platforms should offer or require basic food safety training for vendors and delivery personnel. Second, they can establish hygiene certification processes and make those badges visible on their apps, much like driver profiles. Third, consumer ratings should go beyond taste and timeliness to include food handling, cleanliness, and packaging integrity. Finally, delivery companies can work with food safety capacity-building organisations like Food Health Systems Advisory or local public health authorities to design scalable, tech-enabled oversight mechanisms that align with national food safety goals.
It is also important to shift how we perceive food delivery platforms. These companies are not merely logistics intermediaries; they are food system actors. With their scale and influence, they have a responsibility to uphold food quality, protect public health, and foster consumer trust. If ride-hailing apps can set and enforce standards for safety, so too can food delivery platforms.
At Food Health Systems Advisory, we partner with forward-thinking delivery platforms that want to integrate food safety into the core of their operations. Together, we can build systems that support vendors, safeguard consumers, and elevate Africa’s food sector as a whole.
As the food delivery market continues to expand, the question is no longer whether innovation will lead the way; it already has. The real question is whether our food safety systems, safeguards, and standards will keep up.
Because in food delivery, food safety is not just a value-added feature. It is the foundation.
Vivian Maduekeh is the Managing Partner of Food Health Systems Advisory, a management consulting and business advisory firm. Learn more at http://www.fhsafrica.org
