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Dining Out Less Popular: NPD Group

NPD Group's "Eating Patterns in Canada" study suggests most Canadian households are planning to cut down on dining out. Eighty-eight per cent of respondents in the report said they intended to decrease the amount of time spend eating in restaurants. The surveys were mainly conducted up to and including March 2008, before the economic downturn began hitting Canada in a big way. Marion Chan of the NPD Group said that even though people may intend to cut back on eating out, they've come to rely on pre-made foods so much that they're not going to be able to do it. People would be spending less than they did in the past, she said, but still enjoying a prepared meal so food manufacturers should see this as an opportunity, Chan added. http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/12/16/food-consumer.html Source: Canadian Grocer E-Newsletter, Dec. 19, 2008