Attitudes to Cooking/Meal Preparation - Ireland - June 2018

OVERVIEW 
What you need to know
Issues covered in this Report
Definition
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Market factors
Irish consumers struggle to find time to cook
Convenience in high demand
Increasing number of grab and go food products influencing eating behaviour
Flexible and microwavable packaging driving consumers’ interest
Cooking skills gap amongst younger generations needs to be addressed
Consumers in need of culinary skills improvement
Cooking from scratch facilitates portion and ingredient control
Digital media a source of culinary inspiration
Innovations
The consumer
Most Irish consumers report to be responsible for preparing meals
Figure 1: Responsibility for cooking/preparing meals in the household, NI and RoI, March 2018
Most Irish consumers cook from scratch
Figure 2: Frequency of meal preparation, by type of meal, NI and RoI, March 2018
Irish consumers recognise healthy benefits of cooking from scratch
Figure 3: Reasons for cooking from scratch, NI and RoI, March 2018
Irish consumers report high cooking confidence levels
Figure 4: Agreement with statements related to cooking behaviours, NI and RoI, March 2018
Consumers value the importance of cooking skills
Figure 5: Agreement with statements related to attitudes towards cooking, NI and RoI, March 2018
THE MARKET – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 
Shortage of time affects consumers eating and cooking habits
Time-poor consumers with busy lifestyles search for convenience
Snacking and consumers’ eating habits
The effect of ready meals, takeaways and meal delivery services on scratch cooking
Convenient packaging appealing to consumers
Teaching younger consumers cooking skills essential to their physical and mental wellbeing
Consumers lack culinary skills and cooking confidence
Scratch cooking helps consumes to control portion sizes and ingredients
Social media and networks helping consumers to improve their cooking skills
MARKET DRIVERS
Lack of time affecting consumers’ cooking behaviour
Figure 6: Agreement with a statement ‘It is hard to find the time to cook from scratch every night’, by age, NI and RoI, March 2018
Consumers seeking convenience
Figure 7: Agreement with statements ‘Preparing raw ingredients is a hassle’, ‘Cooking from scratch means having to do more washing up’ and ‘I use pre-prepared products when cooking’, NI and RoI, March 2018
Snacks and on-the-go products influencing eating habits
Figure 8: New products launched in the snack category, UK and Ireland, January 2013-May 2018
Figure 9: How often consumers snack between meals in a typical day, NI and RoI, November 2015
Ready meals, takeaways and meal delivery services reducing the need for cooking skills
Figure 10: Top ready meal launches, by sub-category, UK (including NI) and Ireland, 2013-18
Figure 11: The frequency with which consumers have bought ready meals in the last three months, by type, NI and RoI, August 2016
Technology influencing ready meal/takeaway usage
Consumers demand convenient food packaging
Figure 12: New product launches in the (UK including NI) and Ireland food market, by packaging type, January 2013-May 2018
Figure 13: New product launches in the (UK including NI) and Ireland food market, by claims related to convenience, January 2013-May 2018
Parents advised to cook with children
Concerns about cooking from scratch emphasise the need to address the skill gap
Figure 14: Agreement with statements ‘It is hard to know whether meat is cooked through to a safe temperature’ and ‘It’s best to avoid recipes with ingredients you are not familiar with’, NI and RoI, March 2018
Cooking from scratch helps consumers to control diets and improve their health and wellbeing
Figure 15: Consumers who cook from scratch to have control over portion size, by age, NI and RoI, March 2018
Millennials cook from scratch to meet special dietary needs
Figure 16: Consumers who cook from scratch to meet special dietary needs, by age, NI and RoI, March 2018
Digital media and their influence on meal preparation and cooking behaviour
The impact of celebrity chefs and cooking programmes on consumers’ attitude towards cooking
INNOVATIONS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Irish consumers like time-saving food preparation
High protein content a prized attribute for meal choices
Meat substitutes market showing compound growing, albeit from a low base
Consumers are still avoiding key allergens, particularly gluten
Food retailers working to reduce plastic used in packaging
WHO’S INNOVATING?
Irish consumers seeking to minimise preparation time and environmental impact
Figure 17: Claims analysis of products launched in the Meals & Meal Centre, Side Dish, and Processed Fish, Meat & Egg Product markets, Ireland, 2014-18
Protein is the most valued nutrient in consumer diets
Consumers choosing to reduce meat consumption and seek alternate protein sources
Figure 18: New meat substitutes products launched, UK and Ireland, 2014-18
Low/no/reduced allergen products retain popularity
THE CONSUMER – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Irish consumers share cooking responsibilities
Cooking from scratch popular in a typical week
Scratch cooking perceived as a healthier option
Irish consumers confident in using various available ingredients and modifying recipes
Cooking knowledge important in developing healthy attitude towards food
COOKING RESPONSIBILITY 
Majority of Irish consumers do not share cooking responsibilities
Figure 19: Responsibility for cooking/preparing meals in the household, NI and RoI, March 2018
Irish women primary cooks for the family, while men more likely to share the cooking responsibility
Figure 20: Responsibility for cooking/preparing meals in the household, by gender, NI and RoI, March 2018
Older generations more likely than Millennials to be mainly responsible for meal preparation
Figure 21: Consumers who are mainly responsible for cooking/preparing meals in the household, by age, NI and RoI, March 2018
Figure 22: Responsibility for cooking/preparing meals in the household, by working status, NI and RoI, March 2018
FREQUENCY OF MEAL PREPARATION
RoI consumers cook a dish from scratch more frequently than consumers in NI
Figure 23: Frequency of meal preparation, by type of meal NI and RoI, March 2018
NI ABC1s tend to cook from scratch less frequently
Figure 24: Frequency of creating a dish completely by scratch, by socio-economic group, NI and RoI, March 2018
Millennials more likely to create a dish from combination of prepared food and uncooked ingredients
Figure 25: Frequency of creating a dish that is a combination of prepared food and uncooked ingredients 3-4 times a week, by age, NI and RoI, March 2018
REASONS FOR COOKING FROM SCRATCH
Irish consumers perceive cooking from scratch as healthier
Figure 26: Reasons for cooking from scratch, NI and RoI, March 2018
Older consumers see cooking from scratch as healthier
Figure 27: Consumers who cook from scratch because it is healthier, by age, NI and RoI, March 2018
Figure 28: Consumers who cook from scratch because it tastes better than prepared meals, by age, NI and RoI, March 2018
Women and C2DEFs cook from scratch to save money
Figure 29: Consumers who cook from scratch to save money, by gender and socio-economic group, NI and RoI, March 2018
Consumers who enjoy cooking spend more time online
Figure 30: Consumers who cook from scratch because they enjoy cooking, by daily internet usage, NI and RoI, March 2018
Irish 25-34-year-olds most likely to cook to try out new recipes
Figure 31: Consumers who cook from scratch because they want to experiment/try out new recipes, by age, NI and RoI, March 2018
Figure 32: Consumers who cook from scratch because they want to experiment/try out new recipes, by daily internet usage, NI and RoI, March 2018
COOKING BEHAVIOURS
Irish consumers confident in using a variety of ingredients
Figure 33: Agreement with statements related to cooking behaviours, NI and RoI, March 2018
Irish Millennials less confident when it comes to modifying recipes
Figure 34: Agreement with statements ‘I often cook with whatever ingredients I have at home’ and ‘I feel confident modifying recipes’, by age, NI and RoI, March 2018
Irish men and older generations more willing to handle raw meat
Figure 35: Agreement with the statement ‘I am happy to handle raw meat when cooking’, by gender and age, NI and RoI, March 2018
Traditional cooking methods favourited by older consumers
Figure 36: Agreement with the statement ‘I prefer to use traditional cooking methods where possible’, by age, NI and RoI, March 2018
Younger consumers less likely to seek locally produced and seasonal ingredients
Figure 37: Agreement with statements ‘I seek out locally produced ingredients to cook with’ and ‘I seek out seasonal ingredients to cook with’, by age, NI and RoI, March 2018
NI women feeling guilty about using ready meals and constrained in terms of meal choices
Figure 38: Agreement with statements ‘I feel guilty using ready meals to feed my family/friends’ and ‘My meal choices are constrained by what my family/the people I live with want’, by gender, NI and RoI, March 2018
Social media and online food shopping appealing to Irish Millennials
Figure 39: Agreement with statements ‘I enjoy sharing photos of food I have prepared on social media’ and ‘I prefer to shop for food ingredients online than shop in stores’, by gender and age, NI and RoI, March 2018
ATTITUDES TOWARDS COOKING
Improving cooking skills essential in developing healthy attitude towards food
Figure 40: Agreement with statements related to attitudes towards cooking, NI and RoI, March 2018
Women and Baby Boomers more likely to believe in the importance of developing cooking skills
Figure 41: Agreement with the statement ‘Learning how to cook is important for developing a healthy attitude towards food’, by gender and age, NI and RoI, March 2018
Millennials and women feel judged by others for their food choices
Figure 42: Agreement with the statement ‘People judge you by the kinds of food that you eat’, by gender and age, NI and RoI, March 2018
NI’s C2DEFs concerned about the costs of eating a healthy diet
Figure 43: Agreement with the statement ‘It is more expensive to eat a healthy diet’, by socio-economic group, NI and RoI, March 2018
Irish consumers seek out advice and tips
Figure 44: Agreement with the statement ‘There should be more information on how to use leftovers’, by daily internet usage, NI and RoI, March 2018
Irish women concerned about environment and animal welfare
Figure 45: Agreement with statements ‘The way in which food companies treat animals is a big concern’ and ‘Cooking from scratch is more environmentally friendly than using prepared meals’, by gender, NI and RoI, March 2018
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES, ABBREVIATIONS AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Consumer research
Data sources
Generational cohort definitions
Abbreviations