12/12/08 Meal Math II

Yesterday I introduced you to a report on American's eating habits. I'm Jeff Keane; today I'll give you more interesting tid bits. U.S. citizen's eating habits have been studied by the marketing research service, NDP since 1984 and show 50 percent of food budgets are used purchasing restaurant meals, stove usage to prepare meals is down but grilling is up and more men are cooking than ever before. The report also revealed organic food purchases fell 5.2 percentage points for the first time last year and probiotics seem to be the hot new food additive. According to this NDP survey ground beef, toast, steak, eggs, coffee, pie, cake, even peas and homegrown fruit have declined in popularity with consumers. Over the last 24 years pizza, yogurt, poultry sandwiches, bottled water, frozen entrees, chips, flavored rice and Italian dishes have shown increased demand. Now, in the last twelve months over 40 percent of adults surveyed are stocking up more food items, preparing more meals at home and eating more leftovers. From a producer's standpoint these trends need to be analyzed and studied, but from a consumer's perspective this survey message should be always remembered. Every generation gives a smaller percent of its income to food, because, the report says, "We have never let food costs rise faster than our incomes." Drovers  November 15, 2008