How Britain Eats!™ 2010 | Report



London, 12 November 2009 – Allegra’s How Britain Eats!™ reveals that UK consumers are becoming increasingly empowered. Their expectations are greater and they are demanding more for far less, making the marketplace increasingly challenging for retailers and operators.

Key Findings

They are dining more informally, in and out the home. Casual independent restaurants and local pubs are visited by UK consumers the most. Meals at home have moved from the kitchen table to the lounge, and often in front of the TV. Healthier eating is gaining pace but not at the expense of great tasting food. While cooking from scratch at home for friends and family is growing in popularity, with 32% of consumers saying they cook more at home now than 12 months ago.

Food Shopping Patterns

• Nearly a quarter of consumers conduct a main food shop more than once a week, as demand for product freshness and the desire to save costs become critical to UK households
• Proximity to home is the overriding factor determining where consumers do their main and top-up grocery shop
• A growing proportion of consumers are less willing to compromise on product quality than previously, as they cook more at home and give greater consideration to the ingredients they use

Eating at Home 

• Highest levels of meal consumption at home are at breakfast and dinner time
• UK consumers are cooking more from scratch at home and consume less ready meals and takeaways, as food quality and healthiness become more important
• Dining at home becomes more informal. Most meals are eaten in the lounge not in the kitchen or dining room, and in the evening 61% of consumers eat food in front of the television
• The British passion for drinking tea at home has not waned and is particularly favoured at breakfast time

Eating At Friends and Family

• A popular activity, with 25% of consumers eating at friends /relatives at least once a week
• An estimated 66 million meals eaten at friends’/relatives’ homes every month in the UK, equating to 10% of the number of meals eaten out of the home
• Most prevalent in younger age groups and in higher social-economic consumer segments

Editor’s Notes
How Britain Eats!™ is a definitive research programme focusing on UK consumers’ eating and drinking patterns and food & beverage shopping behaviour. Comprising an annual dialogue with consumers, the programme represents the most in-depth research ever undertaken in this area.

Sources
3,000 telephone interviews with UK consumers, May & June 2009
45 consumer household online diaries, May 2009
350 face to face interviews with UK consumers, May 2009
Extracts from collective surveys with UK consumers (over 10,000) conducted throughout 2009

For further information on this report or to find out more about The Allegra Food Strategy Forum please call Yvette Mackenzie on 020 7691 8842 or email yvmackenzie@allegra.co.uk