Search results

Eating out is part of the pattern of food production and consumption by individuals in their household context. Changes in the importance and pattern of eating out indicate changes in its economic function. These changes reflect variations in household organization stemming from long‐term increases in income per head reinforced by significant changes in technology. Consumers will switch towards simpler eating habits and meals bought out will reflect commercially provided time‐intensity or skill‐requirement reduction. With changing technology, consumers will constantly upgrade the kinds of meals that they buy outside. Patterns of experimentation and cellularization of household members in eating out are influenced by economic factors. Re‐examines the concepts of social and convenience eating in the light of economic variables, particularly changes in work and leisure activities that affect food consumption.

While it is incontestable that eating in restaurants leads to a higher energy intake than eating at home, this paper explores the even more environmentally relevant connection between meat intake and the location of eating.

Based on secondary data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the authors apply a latent class model (LCM), combining latent profile analysis (LPA) and regression analysis. Different (latent) consumer classes are modeled based (1) on share of meat consumption and (2) share of eating out by means of LPA, while class-specific socio-demographic characteristics are estimated by means of ordered logistic regression.

Results of the LPA reveal four (latent) consumer classes with regard to the share of meat consumption and the share of eating out. One class consists mostly of male meat lovers with a high share of eating out, which, however, only represents 7% of the sample. A much larger class represents an affluent social group that consumes the majority of food outside of the home but does not consume significantly more meat than the large group of moderates who mostly eat at home. The fourth class mostly consists of children with a very low intake of meat.

By applying a LCM, the authors shed some light on the relation between meat consumption and eating out. The authors demonstrated that commonly assumed relations, such as men eating more meat than women, do not necessarily apply. Similar findings apply to factors potentially influencing meat consumption, such as education, marital status and income.

Reports research findings on the gendered character of the eating out experience, from a study of eating out in England. Investigates two main areas: food tastes and authority relations within consumer groups. Describes how gender differences in food tastes when eating out are subtle. Shows that food tastes alter according to where the eating is done; food preferences and choices differ when people eat out as opposed to when they eat in. These trends are similar for men and women. Further investigates aspects of eating out decision taking and shows that gendered conduct does exist, but the extent of it varies depending on the composition of the company.

The paper aims to offer information regarding the degree of homogenization of eating times in the UK and Spain. The objective is to compare two societies by the ways their respective members organize the time spent on eating. Eating time organization is examined via two parameters: eating rhythms and their duration. The authors study the former by comparing daily meals timetables. Duration is studied via the time spent on eating and cooking.

Data from time-use surveys in Spain and the UK have been used for this work and various specific aspects of eating have been analyzed. First we consider the time devoted to eating; second, the timetables of the main intakes: third, the time spent cooking. Since in these sections it is noted that eating out is the behavior that most differentiates Spaniards and Britons, another section is given specifically to analyzing this behavior. Four categories were established by using a scaled variable to collect the time when the main activity is eating out: Home consumption, which shows are those that do not spend time eating or drinking out. Short time eating out: those who spend half an hour at most eating or drinking out. Average time eating out: those who spend between half an hour and one hour eating or drinking out. Long time eating out: those who spend more than an hour eating or drinking out. The comparison was made using respective sub-samples limited by age, between 16 and 65, as this is the potentially active population, integrated into the labor market in both countries.

British and Spanish timetables do not coincide. The British spread their important meals through the day, while Spaniards concentrate them between 1.30 and 4 o'clock in the afternoon (lunch) and between 8.30 and 11 o'clock in the evening (dinner). In the Spanish case this makes for important peaks of individuals eating at the same time: in the periods 2:20/2:30 and 21:10/21:20. In the UK they are spread more throughout the day and do not reach comparable maximums. In Spain an average of 20 minutes (23.2 minutes) more is spent on the main meals than in the UK. This difference is found mainly among those who eat at home. Differences in eating out are quite smaller for Britain and Spaniards. They make a greater collective effort to synchronize this activity and, therefore, to a greater extent the day's structure. In both societies an eating norm shared by their members that reproduces cultural aspects characteristic of each one is maintained. The evaluation of eating is in the time and place of meals. In the British case, compared with the Spanish one, there is a greater tendency to eat out and spend little time, without taking into account comparison with time spent going home to eat. This tendency points to a lesser value being given to the practice. If to this factor we add the differences in time both societies devote to cooking, longer in the Spanish one, the different nature of the social act of eating has in each society is highlighted.

Time analysis offers a new dimension to the exploration of the homogenization of food consumption. Other types of data used to establish international comparisons on food, especially data on food consumption, show a homogeneous image of food consumption among countries. Conversely, time analysis reveals a more heterogeneous image on this issue.

It offers the possibility to do multivariate analysis, which allows us to assess which variables are the most relevant to understand the amount of time devoted to the preparation of food.

Eating away from home frequency is increasing and is linked with numerous adverse health outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to inform the development of health promotion materials for improving eating away from home behaviors by elucidating related parent and child cognitions.

Parents (n=37) and children (n=35; ages 6–11 years) participated in focus group discussions, based on social cognitive theory. Data were content analyzed to detect themes.

Many parents were concerned about what children ate away from home, however, others were less concerned because these occasions were infrequent. Lack of time and busy schedules were the most common barriers to eating fewer meals away from home. The greatest barrier to ensuring children ate healthfully away from home was parents were not present to monitor children’s intake. To overcome this, parents supervised what kids packed for lunch, provided caregivers instruction on foods to provide, and taught kids to make healthy choices. Kids understood that frequently eating away from home resulted in less healthful behaviors. Barriers for kids to eat healthy when away from home were tempting foods and eating in places with easy access to less healthy food. Kids reported they could take responsibility by requesting healthy foods and asking parents to help them eat healthfully away from home by providing healthy options and guidance.

This study is one of the first to qualitatively analyze parent and child eating away from home cognitions. It provides insights for tailoring nutrition education interventions to be more responsive to these audiences’ needs.

Despite growing demand, little product information is available when eating out. Information that is provided is often not well understood leading to a lack of consumer control and acting as a barrier to healthy food choices. The AIDA model which highlights the key stages of effective marketing communication (awareness, interest, desire and action) is applied. Information provided through technological solutions is examined to provide clear guidance on future use.

Exploratory qualitative methods through four focused group discussions allowed consumers views to be probed in-depth and key themes to emerge through thematic analysis.

In addition to the four key elements of the AIDA model, accessibility and relevance are found to be key constructs relevant to food information provision. Accessibility highlights the need for quick and clear data display, while relevance stresses how salient information is key to each consumer. Technological solutions may offer the most responsive, effective and trusted way to provide enhanced information.

With increasing consumer demand for clear information, a competitive advantage can be gained through the provision of personalised enhanced dish information when eating out. Findings from this study highlight consumers’ desire for online (app or website-based) platforms.

The provision of enhanced food information when eating out has clear public health implications and may influence choice leading to a reduction in non-communicable disease.

This study evaluates consumers’ perceptions to the provision of enhanced food information out of home providing novel insights and guidance for both managerial and societal impact.

Argues that eating out in Britain has no basis in social culture and therefore exists without any consensual value as to what is recognized as good. As a consequence it is open to the influence of innovation and novelty. The concept of “lifestyle” is evoked as a focus of consumption patterns and it is argued that as eating out has no cultural support it is open to greater competition from other attributes of lifestyle. The debate between holistic versus attribute evaluation is resolved firmly in favour of the former. The implications of this, and the absence of a cultural anchor with its attendant effect on lifestyle, are explored in relation to marketing strategies. The distinction is made between unit marketing, market segmentation and the task of attracting more people into the activity of eating out. Home orientation is seen as the barrier to development.

This paper reflects on a sociological study of eating out in the UK. After a brief résumé of the study and its main empirical findings it addresses questions about the relationship between social scientific and other forms of practical knowledge about consumption. In the context of a process referred to as the commercialisation of mental life, the paper isolates a number of features which distinguish sociological from market research approaches to the topic. It is argued that too determined a practical focus to the study of consumer behaviour is likely to compromise understanding.

“The nation’s diet” is a six‐year basic social science programme funded by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council, consisting of 16 projects located in universities across England, Scotland and Wales. Explains the overall purpose of this multi‐disciplinary programme in social scientific terms as the examination of the processes affecting human food choice. The programme’s central concern ‐ “why do people eat what they do?” ‐ is amenable to study using a variety of social scientific research approaches, designs and techniques of data collection and analysis. Illustrates this methodological variety selectively in reporting a few of the programme’s early results from three of its projects. The findings confirm that people eat what they do for a multiplicity of reasons in addition to, and sometimes in conflict with, hunger, properties of the food itself or people’s own valuation of health and nutrition.