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Sainsbury's study reveals that the hand is mightier than the fork

“THE HAND IS MIGHTIER THAN THE FORK”

British dining traditions are rapidly changing, Sainsbury’s research finds

National study charts the increased sofa dining, use of hands as cutlery and emergence of the “knork”

The hand is proving mightier than the fork, and the knife, and the spoon when it comes to eating meals.

A report into the nation’s dining habits also reveals that the sofa has become a de facto dining chair and the relaxed lifestyle illustrated by TV’s The Royle family is now commonplace.

Where we do use cutlery we frequently do away with the knife and make the fork a hybrid tool, turning it into a “knork” to cut up and eat food as we balance a meal on our knee. The knork has already been launched in the US and featured recently on the networked Jay Leno Show.

Almost half of Britons admit to eating in front of the TV and one in ten 18-24 year old say they use their hands to eat their evening meal.

The results from a survey into the nation’s shopping and eating habits, carried out for Sainsbury’s reveals:

15% of those questioned eat breakfast with their hands, suggesting a piece of toast or fruit

44% use their hands for lunch – the sandwich or wrap at the office

5% of people use their hands for the evening meal – inferring the popularity of a pizza, mezze and tapas

Ian Jarmarkier, Head of Sainsbury’s Food and Innovation Centre said: “This is a fascinating insight into how we eat now. It shows that the way that we eat food is evolving to match our changing, busy lifestyles. Convenience eating these days by no means implies a trade-down in nutritional quality and the increasingly Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern character of convenience foods enables us to eat healthily wherever we’re sitting and whatever implements we’re using.”

The survey which examines the way we buy and consume food reveals how TV, either watching or copying the antics shown on programmes, is increasingly impacting where and what we eat with and when we choose to eat together.

Sunday lunch continues to be the dominant meal at which British families congregate, with four in ten (41%) respondents identifying it as the principal meal when they are together as a family. The second most popular meal for families to meet is the Sunday evening meal (24%), with the Friday evening meal rated third.

More than one in ten respondents (12%) with children at home said that they never sit down for a meal as a family. Families in Scotland are the least likely to share a meal, with 17% saying that they don’t. Families in the south are the most likely, where only 8% said that they were unlikely to ever meet for a meal.

The study reveals that the traditional knife, fork and spoon setting has almost disappeared. Just three per cent use a full set of cutlery for breakfast, 19% for evening meal with most using a knife, fork and spoon for lunch, 22%, indicating the continued strength of the business lunch.

The most popular implement at breakfast is the spoon, implying that most people (55%) have at least cereal or yoghurt before leaving the home.

At dinner, 57% of us favour the knife and fork, implying the dominance of the one course meal. The 55+ age group are the most likely to have a knife, fork and spoon (29%). Of 18-24 year olds only 10 % use a knife, fork and spoon for the evening meal.

But eight per cent overall use only a fork to eat the evening meal perhaps showing that the significant percentage of respondents eating in front of the television do away with the knife.

The number that admits to skipping meals is surprisingly small and the three meals a day principle is still part of the daily routine. We eat breakfast on average 5 days a week. The 18-24 year old age group are the most likely to skip breakfast on three days a week while the 55+ age group are the sticklers for their morning meal, eating it on 6 days a week on average.

While we eat lunch on six days out of seven on average the 45-54 year old age group are the most likely to skip the midday meal as they stay at their office desks, implying a last ditch attempt to climb the greasy pole by putting extra time in.

Most eat the evening meal before 7pm (62%) with only (12%) saying they eat after 8pm. – Ends –

More information:

Hamish Thompson / Paul Crosbie 01727 831222 / 07702 684290

Survey carried out online by YouGov plc. Total sample size was 7,698 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 18th – 26th September 2007. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

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