Food survey: Irish people are now spending an estimated €6-€7 billion a year on eating out, with an average spend per visit of €38 in restaurants, €15 in pubs and €12 in fast food outlets, a new survey has indicated.
The survey of 1,000 consumers, conducted by Amarach consulting last July, also shows consumers are spending an average of around €7 per visit on foods in supermarkets, convenience stores, and sandwich bars.
It says that, for the first time in our history, Irish people spend more on food to eat outside the home than inside the home.
While the traditional "meat and two veg" was the most popular dish among those surveyed, Chinese food was the favourite dish among younger people aged between 15 and 34.
However, more than one in 10 of all those surveyed said fast food was their preferred type of food when eating out, while 6 per cent said Italian food was their preferred type of food.
Pubs and work canteens were seen to provide the best value, while fast food outlets, restaurants and vending machines were among those perceived to provide lower value for money.
According to the survey, 95 per cent of people now eat outside the home during the year.
Some 82 per cent of these buy their food in restaurants, with almost two-thirds doing so from fast food outlets.
Two out of five of all respondents said they were eating outside the home more often than they used to - a trend which is especially evident in younger people.
For example, 54 per cent of those in the 15-24 age group said they were eating out more often, compared with just 17 per cent in the 65-74 age category.
Lunchtime is the busiest time of day for food outlets, with over half of those who buy to eat outside the home doing so at this time.
Some 36 per cent do so in the evening or night time, with 18 per cent buying to eat outside doing so on their way home.
But in a worrying sign, young people aged between 15-34 spend the most on products from vending machines.
Similarly, 34 per cent of all respondents indicated they would eat more healthily if the choice was there.
Despite a growing awareness of health issues, almost one in four adults also said they often skipped breakfast, with almost one in five saying they often skipped lunch.
The Food Futures study, commissioned by Campbell Catering, also reveals that just over one in 10 Irish people are on a diet at any time, with those in the 65-74 age group most likely to be in this situation.