Can the diet of today’s youth be both healthy AND convenient?

Today’s youths have to fit an increasing number of things into their already busy lives – from studying and commuting to career-building, social-networking and more. As a result of this, the way they think about food and health is becoming increasingly affected.

Tpoll’s recent “Youth Eating Habits” research study has revealed some of the challenges that Generation Y are facing when it comes to balancing a desire to eat healthily with the convenience of fitting food into their hectic daily schedules.

The findings have shown that at least 50% of young people habitually skip breakfast (often several times a week) simply due to a lack of time in their morning routines. Most youths today work harder and for longer hours compared to their counterparts in previous generations. Often, they have nobody waiting at home; nobody cooking for them, or to cook for. With the pressure of work, sticking with healthy options and staying away from fast food has become increasingly difficult.

Ironically, while many youths only have time for quick convenience food, there is an increasing desire amongst them to maintain healthy diets. What is most interesting, is that while the time-honoured “ready meal” would seem to fit perfectly with many youths’ lifestyles, young people are rejecting them as they are deemed to be too unhealthy. The lack of transparency and knowledge about the contents of ready meals and any added preservatives has turned them into something that youths feel guilty about eating. In fact, fast food is generally preferred over ready meals as many youths view them as the more healthy option.

Fast food chains should strive to provide these health conscious and busy people with healthier on-the-go solutions. Few succeed in convincing the younger generation that their products are good for them – product transparency and calorie counts are attributes that help with perception.

Something that ought to be considered carefully by QSR’s and restaurants alike, is that 46% of today’s youths claim that quality of food and health is the most important factor when deciding on where to eat out of home.

For more information or a full report please contact Nana Nielsen on 0203176 0719 nana.nielsen@tpoll.com  - Tpoll’s author of the 2013 Youth Eating Habits Report.