April 22, 1998 - Delivery Please: Consumers Love Their Pizza

by Sara Snyder

When it comes to eating restaurant fare at home, pizza and Chinese are still the choice of the masses, according to a newly released study by the Food Marketing Institute on consumers' carryout meal habits.

FMI, which includes more than 1,200 food retailer and wholesaler members, released the second volume of "Mealtime Trends," a survey of American eating habits and lifestyles.

Among the highlights: Pizza and Chinese/Asian foods purchased from a restaurant and eaten at home accounted for more 45 percent of all take-home meals. Mexican food was next at 37 percent. Beef and main dish or salad-type fare accounted for 5 percent.

Additional variables, such as the number of people eating and demographic factors -- as well as day of the week -- affected the decision-making process. The most important of these factors was the time of day during which the meal would be eaten. Lunch came from a restaurant 44 percent of the time, while 77 percent of dinner foods eaten "elsewhere" came from restaurants.

The FMI report will be used by its members for planning future marketing strategies related to take-out foods and the "home meal replacement" category.

The NPD Group compiled "Mealtime Trends " using information obtained from CREST and National Eating Trends, both of whom track consumption purchase behavior.

This article reprinted with permission from Meat Marketing & Technology.

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