The Family and Free Time - The Family Dinner Remains Intact

In our busy lives, do families still sit down to share a meal together? What kind of meals do they have?

NPD, a market research firm, annually charts the diets of Americans in their survey Annual Report on Eating Patterns in America. According to their research, in the 1990s, the family dinner seemed to be holding strong. Per capita home-cooked meals fell just 1.7% from 933 meals to 917 meals. Dinners at restaurants increased 14% during the same period.

We dined out more in the 1990s. But where? At fast-food franchises. NPD reports that 80% of the growth in restaurant meals over the last five years came from the fast food industry. Of our meals out, 18% are ordered from a drive-in window. Not good news for the waistlines of some families out there.

The point is, however, that we do still seem to make time for a traditional sit-down dinner. This in spite of our busy lives — both parents working and children with their own jobs and activities.

Source: "NPD Sees Focus On Cost, Convenience Reshaping Eating Patterns in America." Online. Available: http://www.npd.com. 19 March, 2002.