Uber Eats Enhances Ordering Experience for Consumers with Food Allergies

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For millions of people around the world, managing food allergies can make simple tasks like ordering food challenging and frustrating. After successfully testing new allergy features in the UK and Ireland in 2023, Uber has focused on improving the online food delivery process for individuals with food allergies globally.

In recognition of Food Allergy Awareness Month, we are excited to introduce a new suite of allergy features designed to enhance the ordering experience for consumers with food allergies and simplify the process for merchants handling allergy requests.

The new features include:

• Store Allergy Disclaimers: Accessible through the store details page, consumers can see if a restaurant can accommodate food allergies.
• Allergy-Specific Instructions Field: This dedicated field encourages consumers to disclose their allergies when ordering from eligible merchants. Consumers can choose from a pre-selected list of common allergens or enter their own, with the information saved to their account.
• Direct Communication Option: If a merchant can receive phone calls, consumers can call to disclose food allergies directly.

Sung Poblete, Ph.D., RN, CEO of FARE, commented: “As a champion for the food allergy community, FARE is pleased by Uber’s proactive approach to ensuring that the millions of Americans with food allergies can share allergy restrictions with restaurants. We appreciate Uber’s work to make online food delivery more accessible to people with the disease of food allergy, and we look forward to our continued partnership.”

To assist merchants in accommodating food allergy requests, we have:

• Highlighted Allergy Disclosures: Allergy information from consumers is highlighted in bold on the Uber Eats Orders app and printed receipts to ensure visibility.
• Merchant-Consumer Communication: Merchants can now easily contact consumers if they cannot accommodate an allergy request, helping to determine the best way to proceed.

“With the dramatic increase in online ordering and the use of delivery apps, effective communication between foodservice establishments and consumers with food allergies is vital,” said Jennifer Gerdts, Executive Director at Food Allergy Canada. “With Uber Eats’ new allergy request feature, consumers can now disclose their food allergies in a more streamlined way with participating restaurants, which means they can make more informed decisions. We look forward to our continued collaborations with Uber Eats and others in the foodservice industry to ensure consumers with food allergies can navigate safe food choices.”

These features are being rolled out across the US and Canada this May.