Editing Take-out

{{Short description|Prepared food purchased with the intent to eat elsewhere}}
{{Redirect|Carryout|the song|Carry Out}}
{{redirect-multi|2|Take out|Take away}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{multiple image|perrow = 2|total_width=300
| image1 = Fish and chips.jpg
| image2 = Döner Kebab.jpg
| image3 = Pizza chaude dans boite.jpg
| footer = Clockwise from top: [[fish and chips]] in [[Hunstanton]], [[Norfolk]], UK; [[Doner kebab|döner kebab]] in Germany; [[pizza delivery]] in [[Nièvre]], France.
}}

A '''take-out''' (US, Canada, Philippines) or '''takeaway''' (UK, Ireland, [[Commonwealth English|Commonwealth]])<ref name="takeaway">{{cite web | title=takeaway noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | website=Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com | url=https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/takeaway | access-date=2021-06-18}}</ref> is a prepared meal or other food items purchased at a restaurant or [[fast food]] outlet with the intent to eat elsewhere. A concept found in many [[Civilization#History of the concept|ancient cultures]], take-out food is common worldwide, with a number of different cuisines and dishes on offer.

==History==
[[File:GrandeTaberna.JPG|thumb|Thermopolium in [[Herculaneum]]]]
The concept of prepared meals to be eaten elsewhere dates back to antiquity. Market and roadside stalls selling food were common in [[Ancient Greece]] and [[Ancient Rome|Rome]].<ref name="Smith">{{cite book|title=The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink|editor-first=Andrew F.|editor-last=Smith|pages=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont0000unse_e9i9/page/580 580]|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford, UK|isbn=9780195307962|year=2007|url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont0000unse_e9i9/page/580}}</ref> In [[Pompeii]], archaeologists have found a number of ''[[thermopolium|thermopolia]]'', service counters opening onto the street which provided food to be taken away. There is a distinct lack of formal dining and kitchen area in Pompeian homes, which may suggest that eating, or at least cooking, at home was unusual. Over 200 ''thermopolia'' have been found in the ruins of Pompeii.<ref>{{cite book|title=Entertaining from Ancient Rome to the Super Bowl: An Encyclopedia|date=October 30, 2008|pages=252–253|editor-last=Weiss Adamson|editor2-last=Segan|editor-first=Melitta|editor2-first=Francine|isbn=9780313086892|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=CT, USA}}</ref>

In the cities of medieval Europe, a number of street vendors sold take-out food. In medieval London, street vendors sold hot meat [[pie]]s, [[goose as food|geese]], [[Lamb and mutton|sheep's feet]] and French [[wine]], while in Paris roasted [[meat]]s, [[Squab (food)|squab]], [[tart]]s and [[Flan (pie)|flan]]s, [[cheese]]s and eggs were available. A large strata of society would have purchased food from these vendors, but they were especially popular amongst the urban poor, who would have lacked kitchen facilities in which to prepare their own food.<ref name="Harris">{{cite book|title=Misconceptions about the Middle Ages|pages=166|editor-last=Harris|editor-first=Stephen|editor2-last=Grigsby|editor2-first=Bryon L.|publisher=Routledge|location=London, UK|isbn=9781135986674|year=2007}}</ref> However, these vendors often had a bad reputation, often being in trouble with [[city]] authorities reprimanding them for selling infected meat or reheated food. The cooks of [[Norwich]] often defended themselves in court against selling such things as "[[Smallpox|pokky]] pies" and "stynkyng mackerelles".<ref>{{cite book |title=Medieval East Anglia |pages=134 |editor-last=Harper-Bill |editor-first=Christopher |isbn=9781843831518 |date=2005 |publisher=The Boydell Press |location=Sussex, UK}}</ref> In 10th and 11th century [[China]], citizens of cities such as [[Kaifeng]] and [[Hangzhou]] were able to buy pastries such as ''[[yuebing]]'' and ''[[congyoubing]]'' to take away. By the early 13th century, the two most successful such shops in Kaifeng had "upwards of fifty ovens".<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Great Latke-Hamantash Debate|editor-last=Fredman Cernea|editor-first=Ruth|pages=[https://archive.org/details/greatlatkehamant0000unse/page/181 181]|publisher=University of Chicago Press|location=London, UK|year=2005|isbn=9780226100234|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/greatlatkehamant0000unse/page/181}}</ref> A traveling Florentine reported in the late 14th century that in [[Cairo]], people carried picnic cloths made of [[Rawhide (material)|rawhide]] to spread on the streets and eat their meals of [[Lamb and mutton|lamb]] [[kebab]]s, [[rice]] and [[fritter]]s that they had purchased from street vendors.<ref name="Mary Snodgrass">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D7IhN7lempUC&q=%22street+food%22+&pg=PA966 |title=Encyclopedia of Kitchen History |author=Mary Snodgrass - |date=September 27, 2004 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9780203319178 |access-date=August 16, 2012}}</ref>  In Renaissance [[Turkey]], many crossroads saw vendors selling "fragrant bites of hot meat", including chicken and lamb that had been [[Rotisserie|spit roasted]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D7IhN7lempUC&q=street+food+history&pg=PA966 |title=Encyclopedia of Kitchen History |author=Mary Snodgrass |date=September 27, 2004 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9780203319178 |access-date=August 16, 2012}}</ref>

[[Aztec]] marketplaces had vendors that sold beverages such as ''[[atole]]'' ("a [[gruel]] made from [[maize]] dough"), almost 50 types of [[tamales]] (with ingredients that ranged from the meat of [[turkey (meat)|turkey]], [[rabbit]], [[gopher]], [[frog]], and fish, fruit, eggs, and maize flowers),<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vY8Cb3Vc7LMC&q=aztec+%22street+food%22&pg=PA276 |title=Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia |author=Susan Evans |year=2001 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9780815308874 |access-date=August 17, 2012}}</ref> as well as insects and stews.<ref name="google4">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vyppownpnUQC&q=aztec+%22street+food%22&pg=PA124 |title=Food Culture In Mexico |author = Long Towell Long, Luis Alberto Vargas |year=2005 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=9780313324314 |access-date=August 17, 2012}}</ref>  After [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish colonization of Peru]] and importation of European food stocks including [[wheat]], [[sugarcane]] and livestock, most commoners continued primarily to eat their traditional diets, but did add grilled beef hearts sold by street vendors.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GcwgxnOBXwMC&q=%22street+food%22+&pg=PA23 |title=Food In World History |author=J. Pilcher |date=December 20, 2005 |isbn=9780203970058 |access-date=August 16, 2012}}</ref> Some of Lima's 19th century street vendors such as "Erasmo, the 'negro' sango vendor" and Na Aguedita are still remembered today.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NTo6c_PJWRgC&q=%22street+food%22&pg=RA3-PA226 |title=Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia |author=Ken Albala |publisher=Boo |date=May 25, 2011 |isbn=9780313376269 |access-date=August 17, 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Frankfurter stand LOC det.4a13502.jpg|thumb|Street food vendors in early 20th century [[New York City]]]]
During the [[American colonial period]], street vendors sold "[[pepper pot soup]]" (tripe) "[[oysters]], [[corn on the cob|roasted corn ears]], [[fruit]] and [[confectionary|sweets]]", with oysters being a low-priced commodity until the 1910s when [[overfishing]] caused prices to rise.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f01RpO0QsDQC&q=%22street+food%22+century&pg=PA214 |title=Good Food for Little Money: Food and Cooking Among Urban Working-class ... |author=Katherine Leonard Turner |year=2008 |isbn=9780549754237 |access-date=August 17, 2012}}</ref> In 1707, after previous restrictions that had limited their operating hours, [[Cuisine of New York City#Street food|street food vendors]] had been banned in New York City.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QQgwVl22fXkC&q=street+food+history&pg=PA25 |title=Street Foods |author=Artemis P. Simopoulos |year=2000 |isbn=9783805569279 |access-date=August 16, 2012|author-link=Artemis Simopoulos }}</ref> Many women [[African-American|of African descent]] made their living selling street foods in America in the 18th and 19th centuries; with products ranging from fruit, [[cake|cakes]] and [[Nut (fruit)|nuts]] in [[Savannah, Georgia]], to [[coffee]], [[biscuits]], [[Praline (nut confection)|pralines]] and other sweets in [[New Orleans]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gF8NCxGHyMMC&q=%22street+food%22+&pg=PA71 |title=African American Foodways: Explorations of History and Culture - |date= December 2008|isbn=9780252076305 |access-date=August 17, 2012|last1=Bower |first1=Anne L. }}</ref> In the 19th century, street food vendors in [[Transylvania]] sold [[Trail mix|gingerbread-nuts]], cream mixed with corn, and [[bacon]] and other meat fried on tops of ceramic vessels with hot coals inside.<ref name="oxford">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FrWgDRkS90EC&q=%22street+food%22&pg=PA118 |title=Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 1991: Public Eating : Proceedings |isbn=9780907325475 |access-date=August 17, 2012|last1=Walker |first1=Harlan |year=1992 }}</ref>

The [[Industrial Revolution]] saw an increase in the availability of take-out food. By the early 20th century, [[fish and chips]] was considered an "established institution" in [[United Kingdom|Britain]]. The [[hamburger]] was introduced to [[Americas|America]] around this time. The diets of [[working class|industrial workers]] were often poor, and these meals provided an "important component" to their nutrition.<ref>{{cite book|title=Food for Health, Food for Wealth: Ethnic and Gender Identities in British Iranian Community|pages=72|last=Harbottle|first=Lynn|year=2004|publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=9781571816344|location=New York, USA}}</ref> In [[India]], local businesses and cooperatives, had begun to supply workers in the city of [[Mumbai|Mumbai (Bombay)]] with [[tiffin]] boxes by the end of the 19th century.<ref>{{cite book|title=Feeding the City: Work and Food Culture of the Mumbai Dabbawalas|last=Roncaglia|first=Sara|pages=xvi|isbn=9781909254008|publisher=Open Book Publishers|year=2013|location=London, UK}}</ref>

The [[COVID-19 pandemic]] led to many [[Restaurant|restaurants]] closing their indoor dining spaces and only offering take-out.<ref>{{cite news
| last         = Daim
| first        = Nuradzimmah
| date         = 17 March 2020
| title        = Restaurants, fast food outlets prepare for restricted movement order
| url          = https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/03/575400/restaurants-fast-food-outlets-prepare-restricted-movement-order
| work         = [[New Straits Times]]
| access-date  = 12 June 2020
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| last         = Wong
| first        = Alexander
| date         = 3 May 2020
| title        = McDonald's Malaysia will not open for dine-in customers on 4th May
| url          = https://www.soyacincau.com/2020/05/03/mcdonalds-malaysia-will-not-open-for-dine-in-customers-on-4th-may/
| work         = SoyaCincau
| access-date  = 12 June 2020
}}</ref>

==Business operation==
[[File:Fish and chip shop, Cromer - geograph.org.uk - 2579721.jpg|thumb|Customers queueing for takeaway at a [[fish and chip shop]] in England]]
Take-out food can be purchased from restaurants that also provide sit-down [[Foodservice#Table service|table service]] or from establishments specialising in food to be taken away.<ref name="Mason">{{cite book|title=Food Culture in Great Britain|last=Mason|first=Laura|pages=170|year=2004|location=CT, USA|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=9780313327988}}</ref> Providing a take-out service saves operators the cost of cutlery, crockery and pay for servers and hosts; it also allows many customers to be served quickly, without restricting sales by remaining to eat their food.<ref>{{cite book|title=FCS Hospitality Services L3|pages=203|last1=Gough|last2=Gough|first1=B|first2=J|isbn=9781770251373|year=2008|publisher=Pearson Education South Africa|location=Cape Town, South Africa}}</ref>

===Street food===
[[File:Thai market food 01.jpg|thumb|A market stall in [[Thailand]] selling take-out food]]
Although once popular in Europe and America,<ref name="Harris"/> [[street food]] declined in popularity in the 20th century. In part, this can be attributed to a combination of the proliferation of specialized takeaway restaurants and legislation relating to health and safety.<ref name="Harris"/> Vendors selling street food are still common in parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East,<ref>{{cite book|title=Food Culture in the Near East, Middle East, and North Africa|pages=119|last=Heine|first=Peter|location=CT, USA|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=9780313329562|year=2004}}</ref> with the annual turnover of street food vendors in Bangladesh and Thailand being described as particularly important to the local economy.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Urban Informal Sector in Asia: An Annotated Bibliography|editor-last=Sethuraman|editor-first=S. V.|pages=192|publisher=[[International Labour Organization]]|year=1992|location=Geneva, Switzerland|isbn=9789221082590}}</ref>

===Drive-through===
In the United States, many restaurants and take-out establishments offer [[drive-through]] or ''drive-thru''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/drive-through?showCookiePolicy=true|title=Drive-through or drive-thru|publisher=Collins Dictionary|date=n.d.|access-date=September 30, 2014}}</ref> outlets that allow customers to order, pay for, and receive food without leaving their cars. The idea was pioneered in 1931 in a California [[fast food]] restaurant, ''Pig Stand Number 21''. By 1988, 51% of [[McDonald's]] turnover was being generated by [[drive-through]]s, with 31% of all US take-out turnover being generated by them by 1990.<ref>{{cite book|title=Fast Food: Roadside Restaurants in the Automobile Age|last1=Sculle|last2=Jakle|first1=Keith|first2=John|pages=61|isbn=9780801869204|year=2002|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|location=Maryland, USA}}</ref>

=== Food delivery ===
[[File:Deliveroo driver on a motorbike in Manchester.jpg|thumb|right|[[Deliveroo]] driver in [[Manchester]], UK]]
Some take-out businesses offer prepared food for delivery, which usually involves contacting a local restaurant by telephone or online. In countries including Australia, Canada, India, Brazil, Japan, much of the European Union and the United States, food can be ordered online from a menu, then picked up by the customer or delivered by the restaurant or a third party delivery service.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kretzmann |first=David |url=http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/12/10/why-dominos-digital-component-is-important/?source=edddlftxt0860001 |title=Why Domino's Digital Component Is Important |publisher=DailyFinance |access-date=28 December 2013}}</ref> The industry has kept pace with technological developments since the 1980s, beginning with the rise of the personal computer and continuing with the rise of mobile devices and [[Online food ordering|online delivery applications]]. Specialized computer software for food delivery helps determine the most efficient routes for carriers, track order and delivery times, manage calls and orders with [[Point of Sale|PoS]] software, and other functions. Since 2008 [[satellite navigation]] tracking technology has been used for real-time monitoring of delivery vehicles by customers over the Internet.<ref>Marianne Kolbasuk McGee. [http://www.informationweek.com/news/206102079 "GPS Comes To High-Tech Pizza-Delivery Tracking"] ''InformationWeek'' 1 February 2008</ref>

[[File:Pizza delivery moped HongKong.jpg|thumb|A branded [[Scooter (motorcycle)|scooter]] used for [[Pizza Hut]] pizza delivery in [[Hong Kong]].]]
A restaurant can either maintain its own delivery personnel or use third parties who contract with restaurants to not only deliver food orders but also assist in marketing and providing order-taking technology. The field has seen rapid growth since the late 2000s with the spread of the smart phones and apps enabling customers to order from their mobile devices.<ref name="Haddon & Jargon, WSJ 3/9/2019">{{cite news |last1=Haddon |first1=Heather |last2=Jargon |first2=Julie |title=The Delivery Wars: Your Food Is Almost Here |journal=WSJ|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/consumers-love-food-delivery-restaurants-and-grocers-hate-it-11552107610 |access-date=1 June 2019 |publisher=Dow Jones & Company |date=9 March 2019 |pages=B1}}</ref> In 2024 it was reported, that food delivery companies in the United States and Europe had amassed more than $20bn in combined operating losses. The [[Share (finance)|shares]] of [[Deliveroo]], [[Just Eat Takeaway]], [[Delivery Hero]], and [[DoorDash]] were therefore trading below the value that was delivered during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name="FT Opinion Lex">{{cite news |publisher=Financial Times Opinion Lex Team |title=Food delivery apps rack up $20bn in losses in fierce battle for diners |author1=Camilla Hodgson |author2=Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu |url=https://www.ft.com/content/675f5c8b-6029-4393-8eba-d6f00327e090 |date=19 May 2024}}</ref>

Some businesses offer a guarantee to deliver within a predetermined period of time, with late deliveries not charged for.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.pizzapizza.ca/guarantee.htm|title= Pizza Pizza's Guarantee|format= Commercial website|publisher= pizzapizza.ca|access-date= 7 December 2007|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071224054617/http://www.pizzapizza.ca/guarantee.htm|archive-date= 24 December 2007}}</ref> For example, [[Domino's Pizza]] had a commercial campaign in the 1980s and early 1990s for its [[pizza delivery]] service which promised "30 minutes or it's free". This was discontinued in the United States in 1993 due to the number of lawsuits arising from accidents caused by hurried delivery drivers.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.gtla.org/public/news/dominos.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20030113195338/http://www.gtla.org/public/news/dominos.html|url-status= dead|archive-date= 13 January 2003|title= Jury award spurs Domino's to drop deadly policy|publisher= Georgia Trial Lawyers Association|access-date= 18 September 2007}}</ref>

==Packaging==
{{see also|Disposable food packaging| Foam food container|Oyster pail}}

Take-out food is packaged in paper, [[paperboard]], [[corrugated fiberboard]], plastic, or [[foam food container]]s. One common container is the [[oyster pail]], a folded, waxed or plastic coated, paperboard container. The oyster pail was quickly adopted, especially in [[Western world|the West]], for "Chinese takeout".<ref name=FCC>{{cite web|url=http://www.fortunecookiechronicles.com/blog/2008/03/17/harvard-advocate-poster-with-chinese-take-out-carton/ |title=Harvard Advocate poster with Chinese Take-out Carton |publisher=[[The Fortune Cookie Chronicles]] website |date=March 17, 2008 |access-date=December 12, 2012}}</ref>

In Britain, old newspapers were traditionally used for wrapping fish and chips until this was banned for health reasons in the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8419026.stm |title=The unlikely origin of fish and chips|website=BBC News Magazine|author=James Alexander|date=18 December 2009}}</ref> Many people are nostalgic for this traditional wrapping; some modern fish and chip shops wrap their food in faux-newspaper, food-safe paper printed to look like a newspaper.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/poppies |title=Review of a fish and chip restaurant |website=Time Out|date=24 September 2013|access-date= 26 August 2017}}</ref>

Corrugated fiberboard and foam containers are to some extent self-[[Thermal insulation|insulating]], and can be used for other foods. [[Thermal bag]]s and other [[insulated shipping container]]s keep food hot (or cold) more effectively for longer.

[[Aluminium]] containers are also popular for take-out packaging due to their low cost. [[Expanded polystyrene]] is often used for hot drinks containers and food trays because it is lightweight and heat-insulating.<ref>{{cite book|title=Excel HSC & Preliminary Senior Science|last=Hill|first=J.|pages=132|year=2003|publisher=Pascal Press|location=NSW, Australia|isbn=9781741251166}}</ref>

All types of container can be produced with supplier information and design to create a [[brand identity]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Packaging User's Handbook|last=Paine|first=Frank |pages=287|publisher=Blackie Academic & Professional|location=Glasgow, UK|isbn=9780751401516|year=1995}}</ref>

<gallery mode=packed>
File:Dominos Pizza NL.jpg|Pizza served in a cardboard box.
File:Oysterpail.jpg |Boiled rice served in an [[oyster pail]].
File:Take-out nasi kuning.JPG|Leaf-wrapped rice dish ([[nasi kuning]])
File:McDonald's Meal Japan.jpg|Paper-wrapped food carrying [[McDonald's]] food; including [[Chicken McNuggets]], fries, burger, and drink
File:Thai Soup Take-away.JPG|Take-out food in Thailand is often packaged in plastic bags
File:Orizume bentō SETSUGEKKA served by Ningyocho Imahan Co,. Ltd. 01.jpg|Orizume [[bento]]
File:First tiffin lunch.jpg|[[Tiffin carrier]] or dabba
File:Chinese restaurant counter Northside Chicago.jpg|Chinese restaurant counter in a Northside Chicago neighborhood
</gallery>

==Disposable serviceware waste==
[[File:Wegwerf-Esstäbchen.jpg|thumb|upright|Disposable chopsticks in a university cafeteria trash bin in Japan]]
{{main|Disposable food packaging}}
[[Packaging]] of fast food and take-out food is necessary for the customer but involves a significant amount of material that ends up in landfills, recycling, composting, or litter.<ref>{{Citation | title =Reducing Wasted Food & Packaging: A Guide for Food Services and Restaurants| publisher =US Environmental Protection Agency | volume =EPA-909-K-14-002| url =http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/foodwaste/docs/reducing_wasted_food_pkg_tool.pdf| access-date =March 9, 2015}}</ref>  Foam containers for fast-food were the target of environmentalists in the U.S. and were largely replaced with paper wrappers among large restaurant chains.<ref>[http://www.plasticstoday.com/blogs/Some-fast-food-brands-look-beyond-polystyrene-others-embrace-it-08120201301 Some fast-food brands look beyond polystyrene, others embrace it], Plastics Today, Heather Caliendo, August 12, 2013</ref>

In 2002, [[Taiwan]] began taking action to reduce the use of [[disposable tableware]] at institutions and businesses, and to reduce the use of plastic bags. Yearly, the nation of 17.7 million people was producing 59,000 tons of disposable tableware waste and 105,000 tons of waste plastic bags, and increasing measures have been taken in the years since then to reduce the amount of waste.<ref>Env. Research Foundation (undated). [http://www.rachel.org/?q=en/node/149 Taiwan's Plastics Ban.] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20110611051123/http://www.rachel.org/?q=en/node/149 Archived]).</ref> In 2013, Taiwan's Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) banned outright the use of disposable tableware in the nation's 968 schools, government agencies, and hospitals.  The ban was expected to eliminate 2,600 metric tons of waste yearly.<ref>China Post. June 5, 2013. [http://www.chinapost.com.tw/print/111477.htm EPA to ban disposable cups from June 1].</ref>

In [[Germany]], [[Austria]], and [[Switzerland]], laws banning the use of disposable food and drink containers at large-scale events have been enacted. Such a ban has been in place in [[Munich, Germany]] since 1991, applying to all city facilities and events. This includes events of all sizes, including very large ones (Christmas market, Auer-Dult Faire, Oktoberfest and Munich City Marathon). For small events of a few hundred people, the city has arranged for a corporation to offer rental of crockery and dishwasher equipment. In part through this regulation, Munich reduced the waste generated by [[Oktoberfest]], which attracts millions of people,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-000283.php|title=Realbeer.com: Beer News: Oktoberfest visitors set records |publisher=realbeer.com}}</ref> from 11,000 metric tons in 1990 to 550 tons in 1999.<ref>Pre-Waste EU. (undated). [http://www.prewaste.eu/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=255&Itemid=94 Ban on disposable food and drink containers at events in Munich, Germany (Pre-waste factsheet 99)]</ref>

China, by virtue of the size of its population and the surging popularity of food delivery apps, such as Meituan and Ele.me, faces significant challenges disposing of or recycling takeout food [[packaging waste]].<ref name="Zhong and Zhang, NYT 5/28/2019">{{cite news |last1=Zhong |first1=Raymond |last2=Zhang |first2=Carolyn |title=Food Delivery Apps Are Drowning China in Plastic |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/28/technology/china-food-delivery-trash.html |access-date=4 June 2019 |publisher=The New York Times Company |date=May 28, 2019 |quote=The astronomical growth of food delivery apps in China is flooding the country}}</ref> According to a 2018 study published in ''Resources, Conservation and Recycling'', for the first half of 2017, Chinese consumers ordered 4.6 billion takeout meals, generating "significant environmental concerns". The study's authors estimated that packaging waste from food delivery grew from 20,000 metric tons in 2015 to 1.5 million metric tons in 2017.<ref name="Song et al, 2017">{{cite journal |last1=Song |first1=Guanghan |last2=Zhang |first2=Hui |last3=Duan |first3=Huabo |last4=Xu |first4=Ming |title=Packaging Waste from Food Delivery in China's Megacities |journal=Resources, Conservation and Recycling |date=March 2018 |volume=130 |pages=227–228 |doi=10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.12.007 |bibcode=2018RCR...130..226S |url=https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/elsevier/packaging-waste-from-food-delivery-in-china-s-mega-cities-FWSKD1p1mK? |access-date=4 June 2019|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In 2018, [[Meituan]] reported making over 6.4 billion food deliveries, up from 4 billion a year earlier.<ref>[http://meituan.todayir.com/attachment/2019041121050100033461369_en.pdf 2018 company report] from [[Meituan]] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604223553/http://meituan.todayir.com/attachment/2019041121050100033461369_en.pdf |date=June 4, 2019 }}</ref>

Because takeout and delivery meals in China include [[disposable product|single-use]] chopsticks, which are made from wood or bamboo, the growth in food delivery also has an impact on China's forests.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Luo |first1=Chris |title=China's 80 billion disposable chopsticks a 'burden' on forests |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1188299/chinas-80-billion-disposable-chopsticks-burden-forests |access-date=4 June 2019 |agency=South China Morning Post |publisher=SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST PUBLISHERS LTD. |date=March 11, 2013}}</ref> China produces about 80 billion pairs of single-use [[chopsticks]] yearly, the equivalent of 20 million 20-year-old trees.<ref name="Gates, 3/11/2019">{{cite web |last1=Gates |first1=Sara |title=Disposable Chopstick Demand Is Killing China's Forests As Annual Production Reaches 80 Billion |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/chopstick-china-forests_n_2853033 |website=HuffPost.com |access-date=4 June 2019 |date=March 11, 2013}}</ref> About 45 percent are made from trees &ndash; mainly cottonwood, birch, and spruce, the remainder being made from bamboo. [[Japan]] uses about 24 billion pairs of these disposables per year, and globally about 80 billion pairs are thrown away by an estimated 1.4 billion people. In 2013 in Japan, one pair of disposable chopsticks cost US$0.02. One pair of reusable chopsticks cost $1.17, and each pair could be used 130 times. A cost of $1.17 per pair divided by 130 uses comes to $0.009 (0.9¢) per use, less than half the cost of disposable. Campaigns in several countries to reduce this waste are beginning to have some effect.<ref>[http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/24/disposable-chopsticks-strip-asian-forests/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 Disposable Chopsticks Strip Asian Forests]. By [[Rachel Nuwer]]. ''The New York Times''. October 24, 2011.</ref><ref>Ecopedia. 2013. [http://www.ecopedia.com/environment/how-wooden-chopsticks-are-killing-nature/ How Wooden Chopsticks Are Killing Nature]. By Alastair Shaw.</ref>{{update inline|date=August 2022}}

==See also==
* [[Condiment sachet]]
* [[Leftovers]]
* [[Oyster pail]], a type of paper container from America that later became used with Chinese American cuisine
* [[Pizza delivery]]
* [[Street food]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Take-out food}}
{{Wiktionary|Take-out|takeout|carry-out|take-away}}
; Videos:
* Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/IfFE9e9xuNc Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20180904203118/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfFE9e9xuNc&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfFE9e9xuNc|title=How Takeout Took Over America|publisher=[[CNBC]]|date=2018-09-03}}{{cbignore}}

{{Fast food}}
{{Meals_navbox}}
{{fast culture}}

[[Category:Restaurants by type]]
[[Category:Restaurant terminology]]