Platform economies, food delivery workers, and urban consumption behavior.
I. The Great Australian Egg Shortage For the first time in my life, I found myself unable to afford eggs. This past New Year, my family and I rented an Airbnb in Sydney, Australia, to ring in the new year. Being unfamiliar with the area, we did all our shopping…
Recently, there has been much discussion surrounding a shift in attitude from delivery platforms, which have indicated they will pay social security for delivery riders. We shall see how many riders truly benefit from this and whether it leads to a genuine improvement in their working conditions. In the latest…
Foodthink Perspectives Slowly but surely, the eating habits of the Chinese people—long a source of national pride—are being profoundly reshaped by digital technologies driven by the internet, algorithms, and artificial intelligence. The most apparent change is in how people consume food. According to media reports, 275 million people rely on…
From China’s delivery riders and France’s foie gras to Inner Mongolian herders, seed conservation, Monsanto’s GM disputes and fungal networks, 2024’s books trace how food, land and nature shape everyday life.
Foodthink says As delivery riders face exploitation and pressure, merchants contend with exorbitant commissions, and users worry about the lack of health guarantees for their food, an increasing number of people have begun to criticise and scrutinise platform enterprises. However, beyond mere criticism, can we imagine an alternative platform model?…
From 1 January 2025, platform workers in Singapore—including those in food delivery, courier services, and ride-hailing—will receive more comprehensive social protections covering work injuries, retirement, healthcare, and housing. They will also be able to form “Platform Work Associations” to strengthen their collective bargaining power. This is the result of the…
Foodthink’s Take In August this year, the film *Another Hopeful Day* was released. It is not only the most profound exploration of delivery work and algorithms in cinema, but also a rare and exceptional work of realism in recent years. On 4 September, Foodthink invited the film’s director, Liu Taifeng,…
In August 2024, two feature films about the food delivery industry were released. Simultaneously, Hangzhou saw two sudden incidents involving delivery riders: in August, a clash between a rider and a security guard sparked collective protests among nearby riders; in September, a “top-tier” rider died suddenly on his e-bike, triggering…
Is a future where artificial intelligence replaces humans still far off? While some have already begun to fear for their livelihoods, the widespread adoption of algorithms in sectors such as food delivery and retail has already transformed the way ordinary people eat. But does new technology necessarily herald a progressive…
The suffering of this person shocks me, for it was unnecessary. — Bertolt Brecht The film *Upstream*, which focuses on food delivery riders, has been showing for over a week. Few films have sparked such widespread and intense debate prior to their release. Within these debates, two starkly opposing viewpoints…
