Fast food giants are increasingly joining online delivery networks, making it easier for people to get their hands on fattening burgers and pizzas, amid a worsening obesity epidemic.
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Australia's largest online food ordering platform Menulog has added Pizza Hut to its growing list of fast food chain partners, with 250 stores now live and 70 more close to joining.
It's a major coup for Menulog, whose website already boasts more than 1000 stores from national chains such as McDonald's, Red Rooster and Subway.
"Pizza as a cuisine type already makes up 30 per cent of all orders on Menulog, so to have Pizza Hut is exciting because we can offer greater variety and different brands," said Alistair Venn, Menulog's managing director.
"We're like a virtual food court – we want to take customers on a journey, have a share of mind as they're browsing around, and Pizza Hut is now part of that."
The pair have been in talks for three months. In that time the chain has been snapped up by local private equity firm Allegro and has acquired the ailing Eagle Boys franchise.
Pizza Hut is increasingly relying on online tools and aggregators to grow its business.
"This new partnership is a great way to give our customers greater access to our largest ever network of stores across Australia," said Lisa Ransom, Pizza Hut's chief executive.
But the growth of fast food chains delivering unhealthy foods straight to their customers' doors is concerning health experts who say it undermines initiatives to tackle Australia's obesity epidemic.
New figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show the national rate of overweight and obesity among adults has increased to 63.4 per cent, raising questions about the efficacy of healthy eating campaigns.
"The problem with eating food you haven't cooked yourself is that it's often higher in saturated fat, salt and sugar," said Jane Martin of the Obesity Policy Coalition.
"The latest obesity statistics are pretty depressing, it's concerning that it's not slowing down, and more needs to be done."
Experts are calling on governments to commit to a multi-pronged strategy, which includes a tax on sugar and restrictions on junk food marketing.
"A sugar tax on sugar-sweetened beverages as proposed recently by the Grattan Institute would be a worthwhile start," said Leanne Wells, head of the Consumers Health Forum.
"While it is not the silver bullet in the fight against obesity, it would have a triple benefit of discouraging sugar-rich drinks, generating revenue for public health campaigns and spurring public awareness about healthy diet."
But Mr Venn said Menulog was all about providing choice for customers and the fastest growing category was vegetarian, which has shot up by 1000 per cent year on year.
He said salads and health foods were the next fastest growing categories.
"It's about giving customers choice, whether they're looking for a guilty treat every now and then or looking for a healthy option," he said.
"We do also have a strong commitment to sharing any health information through our platforms, for example kilojoules [in food items]."
