Datamonitor’s new report,
‘Changing Lunch Occasions’, finds that as the pace of life increases
fewer workers feel able to take time out for lunch. The three-course business
lunch is rapidly being replaced with platters of cold nibbles delivered to the
desk and the social lunch hour is being eroded in favour of ‘desk dining’.
For children, lunch is becoming increasingly important with lunchbox contents
becoming fashion statements.
“Let’s not
do lunch”
Lunchers are a dying breed throughout much of the UK and US. Time pressures
and work demands have resulted in fewer workers taking time out for lunch in
recent years. For workers who do not have the time to take a full lunch hour,
eating at the desk or ‘desk dining’ is becoming increasingly widespread.
‘Desk dining’ allows the often deadline hampered worker the option
of continuing to work whilst re-fuelling for the afternoon ahead. Similarly
workers on the move, either between meetings, offices or clients, are more likely
to ‘grab and go’ rather than stop for lunch in a restaurant or motorway
service station. Whilst the weekend presents families with more time to brunch
or take a leisurely lunch, the weekday has become increasingly time pressured
with more and more employees feeling guilty for taking a lunch hour.
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“Despite less time
available for lunch, consumers are getting more adventurous with their choice
of food. For the British, lunch no longer means a soggy cheese sandwich on white
bread but can be a choice of a variety of breads with a range of interesting
fillings. The choice of a more adventurous lunch is not restricted to those
who buy freshly made lunch from a café; pre-packed sandwiches are available
in every type of bread and filling.
Marks & Spencer, for
example, carry a range that includes aromatic duck and plum sauce. With British
consumers eating over 2 billion sandwiches a year, the UK sandwich market is
the most developed in the world,” comments Sarah Nunny, Datamonitor analyst
and author of the report.
All-day Snacking Means
No Lunch
For those that eat breakfast in the office, lunch usually becomes a snack. For
those who have already eaten breakfast at home the temptation to start snacking
at the office usually begins, with consumers again unlikely to want a complete
midday meal. Consequently, the activity of snacking affects both breakfast and
lunch. Whilst medical experts continue to advise us that a midday break is essential
in order to function efficiently and effectively throughout the working afternoon,
millions of us still ‘lunch on the go’ or scrap the midday meal entirely.
The Spaniards lunch like
Kings and the Brits like paupers
Cultures throughout the world attach varying degrees of significance to the
lunchtime meal. For some the maxim, ‘Breakfast like a King, lunch like
a Prince and dine like a pauper’ holds true, whilst for others, the midday
meal is afforded little more than a few minutes whilst still sitting at their
desk. Lunch on the continent for example is taken more seriously than it is
in either the UK or US. The Italians and Spaniards are renowned for their leisurely
lunch breaks at which the family congregate. Whilst the lunch break in Germany
is not looked upon as a family affair, it is still regarded as the most important
meal of the day and time out is taken to have a hot meal and chat with friends.
Workers in the UK and US however, do not attach the same degree of significance
to the lunch hour as those on the continent. Caught up in a society that demands
more of its workers and regards time as an expensive commodity, the lunch break
is for many an inconvenient fuel stop. With the majority of UK workers taking
between 25 and 30 minutes for their lunch break it is unsurprising that the
lunch menu for a typical worker is comprised of quick to eat, convenience products
such as sandwiches and wraps.
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By GlobalDataThe total value of the lunchtime
market varies considerably, largely on account of cultural differences.
Lunch Market Value
(Based on per head expenditure and the size of the workforce. Includes lunch
prepared at home)
| Country |
Average
lunch spend, per head, £ |
| Spain |
4.32
|
| Sweden |
3.98
|
| France |
3.70
|
| US |
3.08
|
| Italy |
2.95
|
| Netherlands |
2.74
|
| UK |
1.99
|
| Germany |
1.85
|
Source: Datamonitor
The ‘just in time’
pace of life identifiable in the UK and US has gradually begun to infiltrate
parts of Europe resulting in a change in attitude towards lunch on the continent.
The declining importance of the lunch break in France is perhaps the most striking
development to have occurred in Europe so far. Once recognised for their long,
family lunches, many French workers are moving away from their traditional past
and adopting the approach to lunch found in the UK and US.
Desk Deliveries: The
Ultimate in Convenience
Conscious of the fact that speed and convenience are key drivers of the lunchtime
market, the catering firm Sodexho have recently launched a new initiative in
the UK that allows workers to order their lunch online from their desk-top PC.
Instead of having to leave the office to take lunch in the staff canteen, time
pressed workers are able to select their order from the intra-net and wait for
the lunch to be delivered to their desk within the next twenty minutes.
Desk delivery is clearly
defining the lunch of the future as consumers look for ways in which eating
need not impinge on valuable work time.
The Lunchbox: A Fashion
Statement
As the number of working women increases, the popularity of the lunchbox for
children is growing, with over 70% of British children taking lunchboxes to
school. Lunchbox fillers have recently begun to adopt street credibility, as
children have become more discerning about their lunchtime food. The importance
of ‘keeping up with playmates’ has moved into the lunchbox arena as
children are turning the lunchbox into a fashion statement. Sandwiches and crisps
are now ‘last season’ in the face of frozen yoghurt and dipping products
such as sausages and ketchup. The lunchbox is rapidly becoming the twelve ‘o’
clock catwalk as children parade the latest fillers in the dining hall. The
complete lunch pack or ‘lunchables’ form part of the latest wave of
lunchbox innovation. These highly successful lunch packs usually comprise a
filling savoury item, small chocolate bar and drink. Lunchables are highly interactive
products allowing children to create their own meal within the confines of the
products included. Parents regard products such as lunchables as a convenient
and healthy solution that children are happy with due to the fun element and
degree of meal independence offered.
Long Live Friday Lunchtimes
“Lunch is big business in the UK, for both adults and children. While workers
spend less time having lunch, they are willing to spend more on premium products
that offer more variety. The Friday office lunch is not dead, however, as workers
often use the end of the week to go out make up for sacrificing on every other
day. For children, the importance of the lunchbox is set to grow, with chips,
beans and semolina increasingly being replaced by branded, interactive products”,
comments Sarah Nunny.
*’Changing Lunch’,
£2995. Datamonitor Sales 020 7675 7261.
