You Get the Fattier Pizza When You Order Online

Do you order pizza or burger online? But you will think twice before doing so if we tell you that when you order online you tend to end up with fattier food. A recent study published in the journal of Management Science found that people not only spend more when ordering food online, but they also order fattier or higher calorie items—especially when it comes to pizza.

The team of researchers from several schools including University of Toronto, Duke University, and the National University of Singapore looked at data from 160,000 pizza chain orders placed by 56,000 individual households, reported an international broadcaster. They found that orders placed on a computer or smartphone averaged 3.5 per cent more calories—and included 14 per cent more special instructions like ‘hold the mayo’ or ‘extra cheese’—than orders placed in person or over the phone.

The findings indicate that people feel less confined to adhere to social norms about being healthy when they don’t have to interact with a real person.