Convenience Ranks #1 Among Busy Americans in the On-the-Go Consumables Market

New York, August 9, 2007 — Time-pressed Americans, seeking foods they can quickly consume at their desks, in their cars, or at home as they rush from one daily obligation to another, choose convenience over all other factors—including healthfulness, price, and taste—when it comes to buying on-the-go food, according to On-The-Go Eating in the U.S.: Consumer, Foodservice, Retailing & Marketing Trends, a new report from Packaged Facts.

Although 65% of consumers say they try to eat healthier, 33% say they don’t have time to prepare or eat healthy meals. Growing commutes and work days and time demands on two-working-parent and single-parent households drove 49 million Americans to fast-food solutions and 41 million to store-made, pre-cooked meals last fall alone.

Further beefing up the on-the-go food market are altering consumer attitudes and eating habits. Influenced by busy lifestyles, media reports about the health and weight-loss advantages of eating frequent small meals, and smaller portioned on-the-go options from the foodservice industry, one-third of Americans regularly skip meals, often grazing on snack foods as a substitute.

“Restaurant food already comprises a sizable percentage of Americans’ diets, and one out of every ten people already buys food at a convenience store in a two-week period,” notes Tatjana Meerman, Packaged Facts’ Publisher. “Foodservice sectors are seeking to increase their shares of this growing market by adapting to changing consumer attitudes toward meal times, meal sizes, and health issues in order to make their products more convenient, healthier, and otherwise appealing.”

On-The-Go Eating in the U.S. examines the increasing U.S. consumer trend toward foods designed to be eaten “on-the-go.” It explores the growing competition between restaurants and food retailers, pinpoints and analyzes shifting product trends, and identifies opportunities and strategies that foodservice providers, retailers, and packaged goods marketers can use to protect and grow their share of this burgeoning market. The report is available from Packaged Facts by visiting http://www.packagedfacts.com/Go-Eating-1421833. It is also available at MarketResearch.com.

About Packaged Facts
Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, publishes market intelligence on a wide range of consumer industries, including consumer goods and retailing, food and beverage, and demographics. For more information visit www.PackagedFacts.com, or contact Tom Ehart at 240-747-3014, or tehart@marketresearch.com.