Young Koreans are ordering in and paying the price

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Opening a delivery app has become the go-to answer to the daily question, “What should I eat after work?” But this routine is putting the health of Korea’s youth at risk.

One in three young adults in Korea eats delivery or takeout meals at least once a day. Home-cooked meals, once the typical daily meals, have become a special occasion, while high-sodium, high-fat delivery meals have taken their place, driving up health risks for the younger generation.

According to the “Eating Patterns in Korean Adults” report released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the proportion of adults eating delivery or takeout food at least once a day rose from 18.3 percent in 2016 to 24.3 percent in 2023. The figure surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, peaking at 25.2 percent in 2021, but has remained high since.

The shift is most pronounced among young adults. Data showed that more than 30 percent of people in their 20s and 30s rely on delivery or takeout for at least one meal a day, even after the height of the pandemic.

“We are seeing a sustained shift from dining out to ordering in,” the research team said. “This upward trend is expected to continue.”

A chart from a report by Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, translated with artificial intelligence, shows delivery and takeout food consumption rates among adults and those aged 19 to 39.

Convenience at a cost

The convenience of delivery apps comes at a cost: a sharp rise in obesity and metabolic disorders. Because most delivery meals lack nutrition labels, consumers often don’t know what they’re eating. To maximize taste, vendors often load dishes with flavor enhancers, oil, sugar and sodium — direct contributors to hypertension, diabetes and obesity.

KDCA emphasized that frequent consumers of delivery meals are far more likely to exceed recommended daily limits for sodium and fat intake.

“The rise in delivery meal consumption, particularly among those in their 20s and 30s, is linked to long-term risks of obesity, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease,” the researchers said, urging people to make conscious choices to improve their diets.

The hidden risk of microplastics

Beyond nutrition, delivery meals carry another hidden risk: microplastics. The vast majority of delivery orders arrive in plastic packaging. When hot food comes into contact with these containers, the risk of microplastics filtering into the meal increases significantly.

A study conducted by China’s Shanxi University last year found that students who ate from plastic packaging more than three times a day had significantly higher concentrations of microplastics in their feces than those who did not. Another study indicated that microplastics exposure can disrupt the gut microbiome and harm intestinal health, and may increase risks of heart failure and asthma.

This article from Kormedi.com, Korea’s top health care and medical portal, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.