In Portugal, we spend about two hours a day eating, but two-thirds of the meals we eat are not prepared at home. And while the vast majority of the national population prepares their food at home, a quarter of the younger population – and even adults – spend very little time in the kitchen and even underestimate the benefits of making their own food. These are some of the conclusions of the study “How we eat what we eat – a portrait of meal consumption in Portugal”, launched today by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation.
The research, coordinated by Ana Isabel de Almeida Costa, shows that “there is a structural preference of Portuguese families for eating meals away from home”, a situation that differs from that of most European families.
According to data collected by those responsible for the report, food consumption outside the home accounted for 8.1% of the total average annual expenditure per household in Portugal in 2015-2016. In Belgium, for example, this was only 5%. Similarly, compared to the United Kingdom, food consumption outside the home accounted for 35.1% of total average annual food expenditure per household in Portugal, versus 30.7% of total weekly food expenditure per capita for the British.
Thus, it is from the age of 64 that we see an increase in the average total annual expenditure on food consumption at home in Portugal, and it is the income of the last twenty years that makes national families choose to eat at home. at the expense of eating out.
In this area, according to the study “How we eat what we eat – a portrait of meal consumption in Portugal”, there is a direct relationship between the level of income and the professional situation and the consumption of meals away from home. In other words, “going to a restaurant is more common among people with higher incomes and higher education levels, and who live in large urban centers”. The paper shows that food orders are eight times more common in higher-income families, and they also have twice the cost of food, compared to lower-income families.
The woman is cooking
When it comes to preparing meals at home, most of the responsibility still rests with women and “follows persistent social norms, which place responsibility for food and family well-being on them and continue to exempt men to a large extent .” of this burden”.
In practice, three out of four women spend at least one hour a day preparing food. That corresponds to a percentage three times higher than the male reality. As the study underlines, “when the time women spend cooking is added to the time women spend taking care of the family or performing other household chores, it is concluded that they work more than two days unpaid every month than men “.
The report also says that half of Portuguese people cook for at least one hour a day, while 27%, although they cook, spend less than an hour a day on this activity. And two out of ten Portuguese never cook.
We eat at home
At lunchtime, a large proportion of the national population eats out (42%), with most of these meals taking place at work or school (21%). There are also people who have lunch in restaurants (9%), at home with family and friends (8%) or in cafes and bakeries (3%).
On the other hand, 72% of Portuguese meals take place at home, the vast majority of which are breakfast and dinner. And it is the evening meal that the Portuguese cook the most, up to 56%. At the moment, eating out is 13% of the time and on these occasions people eat more often at home with family and friends (6%) than in restaurants (4%).
The research shows that “among the elderly, the share of domestic consumption is still significantly higher in households with a lower net income (less than €970 per month) and in situations of food insecurity than in the rest”.
On the other hand, it is households with a net income greater than or equal to 1455 euros per month that consume the most in restaurants or through catering companies.
In Portugal, there is a direct relationship between income level and occupational situation and the consumption of meals outside the home. It is the people who earn the most who go to a restaurant more often.
Cooking meals
We eat more and more food that is not prepared at home. Two-thirds of meals consumed by residents of Portugal are the result of non-domestic cooking, i.e. food production, preparation and/or cooking activities that take place away from home, describes the study “How we eat what we eat – a portrait of food consumption meals in Portugal”. That goes even further and states that almost 90% of what we eat for breakfast or lunch is not made at home. “Specifically, three-quarters of the food and beverages consumed at breakfast, as well as two-thirds of the food and beverages consumed at lunchtime, come from industry or retail, while most of the remaining consumption comes from of cafes and similar establishments”.
Cooking is something that about a quarter of the young population and even adults do not engage in. In addition to not appreciating homemade food, they value convenience, sociability and the entertainment provided by non-domestic food consumption more.
The meal in nutrition and health
With the exception of the elderly population (who largely invest their income – from pensions or other social benefits – in food prepared at home), there is a predominance on the part of the Portuguese to consume meals in restaurants and other places away from home ( other than education or work or the home of family or friends). A habit associated with a lower likelihood of dieting close to the Mediterranean pattern. In non-older adults, it is associated with a sedentary lifestyle.
The study also shows that among the working-age population, the Body Mass Index is higher among men who eat out more often and do not prepare their meals or do their shopping.
By contrast, overweight and obesity are less common among working-age women who live in higher-income families, eat out more often, and spend less time preparing meals. Conversely, in women involved in family meal preparation, “overweight and obesity may be related to the distribution of daily time between paid work and unpaid family care work, as well as income level and household composition”.
two o’clock is the time that the Portuguese spend on average a day eating. That means that half of the daily free time is spent on meals.
72% of meals of the national population is prepared at home, mainly breakfast and dinner.
42% of the time the Portuguese eat lunch out, with most lunches taking place at work or at school (21%).
90% of the food that we consume for breakfast and lunch are not made at home. At lunchtime, the share of non-domestic food is 55%. During dinner, 56% of the Portuguese cook and thus increase the domestic cuisine.
27% of the Portuguese spend less than an hour a day cooking. Two in ten never cook and half spend at least one hour a day preparing meals.
3 out of 4 women spend at least an hour a day cooking. That equates to a rate three times higher than that of men, in terms of preparing meals, in Portugal.
Mónica Costa is a journalist for Dinheiro Vivo
Source: DN
