300 million use food delivery in China

Various food delivery services across China now have over 80 million active monthly users, reports the People's Daily.

Food delivery riders work after snow in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, on January 18, 2018. [File photo: IC]

Analysis by Meituan.com, one of the major players of the food delivery industry, the number of online food orders increased from 110 million in 2013 to 300 million in 2017.

Cheap prices, various options and convenience are said to be the main advantages listed by food delivery users.

Even high-speed train passengers can now have meals delivered to their seats.

In addition, many food delivery companies have expanded their services to deliver other commodities, including drugs, flowers and fruits.

Analysis suggests around 52 percent of food delivery users cook less by themselves, while 35 percent now say it's OK for them to rent an apartment without a kitchen.

Chinese New Year's Eve has also become a popular time for online food deliveries.

As a result of the rise in food delivery services, instant noodles, once the bedrock of China's convenience food sector, has seen a drastic drop in sales. Stats from the World Instant Noodles Association show that sales of instant noodles on the Chinese mainland dropped from more than 46.2 billion packets in 2013 to 38.5 billion packets in 2016.