Euromomitor has published a report entitled “How we eat: the changing face of global mealtimes”. The company notes the following key trends:

Fragmentation of meals

While eating styles remain very strongly influenced by tradition and culture, many consumers are moving away from a pattern of eating three fixed meals a day towards a much more flexible pattern of snacking and grazing during the day and eating at any time that is convenient. This has led to the rising importance of snacks, which now need to serve a nutritional purpose as well as just fill a gap between meals, and the increased habit of eating smaller meals with little regard to the time of day.

From home to restaurant to on-the-go

wher consumers eat is also shifting as more money is spent eating outside the home than on packaged food. Dining location has moved from formal restaurants to eating at work, on the move and in casual, grazing-based settings, such as street food markets.

Eating at home needs to be quick

Time spent on preparing food at home is limited, with most meals in most markets being prepared in under 30 minutes. Consumers are looking for exciting, healthy food but it needs to be on the table quickly.

Eating alone, at home or in restaurants

Meals used to be social occasions, but it is becoming more common for people to eat alone, out of choice or necessity. Technology is filling this gap, with consumers interacting with devices while eating at home, whether alone or with family, and with restaurants starting to cater specifically to lone diners.

The full report can be downloaded from the Euromonitor web site.