The terms “dashboard dining” and “deskfast” have been ringing around the food and beverage industry for years. Time-strapped consumers simply are fitting meal occasions wherever they can in their busy lives, and the number of such consumers continues to grow.
The American Dietetic Association (Chicago) and ConAgra Foods' (Omaha, Neb.) Foundation Home Food Safety program conducted a survey of 1,521 men and women. The results show that about 62% of people say they are sometimes or often too busy to sit down to eat. Furthermore, some nine out of 10 admit to doing other things while preparing meals. Some 35% dine at their desk at work, and they report that they multitask during that meal occasion—working on the computer, reading, making and receiving phone calls, writing, doing calculations or cleaning their work area.