US Consumers Prepare Meals at Home with Help of Foodservice
Last year more than 80% of meals were prepared and eaten at home
US consumers are increasingly eating and preparing their meals at home, contrary to recent news reports that they are eating at restaurants more based on an uptick in foodservice spending, reports The NPD Group, a global information company. Through its daily research of US consumers’ eating behaviors, NPD shows that four out of five meals are prepared at home, and although the relationship of in-home prepared meals versus those sourced away-from-home has been stable for a few years, Americans still prepare more meals at home than they did a decade ago. Last year over 80% of meals were prepared and eaten in home.
Although foodservice spending has been increasing — up 2% in the year ending May 2018 —foodservice visits were flat in the period compared to year ago. Restaurant visits, whether onsite, drive-thru, or ordered for delivery, are more indicative of foodservice growth than spending, reports NPD. Foodservice spending is up primarily because the cost of a restaurant meal is increasing faster than the cost of a home prepared meal. Additionally, a restaurant meal has historically cost more than an in-home meal, typically as much as three times more.