The report reviews international antitrust approaches to food delivery platforms.
Brazil's antitrust authority, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE), has published a new working paper examining competition issues in the online food delivery market. The report compiles international experience from competition authorities and regulators, providing an overview of how different jurisdictions have addressed the sector's evolving competitive landscape.
According to CADE, food delivery platforms have evolved from a niche convenience service into a key part of the economic infrastructure supporting the restaurant and retail industries. Rapid market growth, driven by digitalization and changing consumer behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic, has also intensified scrutiny of the sector's competitive and regulatory challenges.
CADE Chief Economist Lílian Marques said the study aims to organize international experience to help monitor a market that continues to evolve rapidly. She noted that competition issues in digital platform markets increasingly require a broad policy toolkit, combining antitrust enforcement, market studies, advocacy efforts and, in some cases, new regulatory initiatives. By systematizing these experiences, CADE hopes to contribute to informed policy discussions and provide a reference point for understanding the sector's development.
The working paper reviews international cases involving merger control, investigations into unilateral and coordinated conduct, market studies, advocacy initiatives and regulatory proposals affecting food delivery platforms. Its objective is to identify competition issues and regulatory approaches adopted in different countries that could help inform the analysis of Brazil's food delivery market.
To prepare the report, CADE conducted an international benchmarking exercise with partner competition authorities and other jurisdictions where platforms operating in Brazil are active. The analysis was supplemented by publicly available information, including official documents, regulatory decisions, press releases and news reports, with a particular focus on markets that have recently seen the entry or rapid expansion of food delivery platforms.
The publication is part of CADE's Working Paper series, which is intended to promote technical debate and expand knowledge on issues related to competition policy.
Source: Gov.br
