aem wrote:

>Old Mother Ashby wrote:
>
>
>>Little piece in this morning's paper extracting the juicy bits from a
>>couple of surveys. Apparently 78% of evening meals are prepared at home.
>>Consumption of salads, yoghurt and bottled water is up, hamburgers and
>>fizzy drinks is down. The most common takeaway food item is the
>>sandwich; the statistical average Australian ate 20 last year, followed
>>by 18 buckets of chips and 12 burgers.
>>
>>
>
>I'm surprised that fish and chips doesn't lead the list, but maybe they
>made a distinction betwen takeaway food and fast food.
>
>
Here, have a look at the whole article. Fish and chips is apparently
number 7. Since you often get hamburgers from the same shop, any attempt
to dstinguish it from hamburgers on the grounds of one being fast food
and the other being takeaway doesn't make sense. Personally I'm
surprised that meat pies are so far down the list.

This is the online version of the article. The bit about the rich eating
Thai food is a spearate piece, but the print version amalgamates them.


Humble sanga still top takeaway

More Australians are chowing down on dim sims, rice and noodle dishes as
Chinese cuisine captures an increasing share of the $9 billion a year
fast food market.

But the humble sandwich remains Australia's most popular takeaway meal,
according to research released today.

The research shows health conscious consumers are biting off a greater
share of the fast food market, with takeaway staple potato chips
plateauing in popularity.

An analysis of the nation's fast food habits by industry analyst and
forecaster BIS Shrapnel found Australians consumed 20 takeaway
sandwiches per head of population last year.

Hot potato chips came in second at 18, while hamburgers were the
nation's third favourite at 12.

The report - Fast Food in Australia, 2006 to 2008 - was based on a
survey of 1,700 consumers.

And while Chinese food ranked fifth in the popularity stakes, it
represented the greatest growth market, increasing from six takeaway
serves per head in 2002 to nine in 2005.

Chinese was a big hit with older consumers, while sushi was the most
popular Asian choice for 18-24 year-olds and Thai for 25-35-year-olds.

Cakes and pastries ranked fourth overall, followed by pizza, fish, ice
cream, meat pies and filled rolls.

The report's author Dr Sandro Mangosi said flavour, variety and price
all influenced consumer choice, with health playing an increasingly
pivotal role.

Fifty per cent of respondents said they looked for "diet" products,
while low-fat, additive-free and low-salt foods gained popularity as
consumers relied more on fast food alternatives to cooking at home.

Sales of salads, yogurt and bottled water increased, while hamburgers
and fizzy drinks decreased.

"We are now living in a society of time-starved consumers looking for
convenience food prepared in food service outlets and eaten either on
food service premises or in the home," Dr Mangosi said.

"Cooking has become more of a hobby than a necessity for many consumers."

Australia's fast food market has swelled by 3 per cent in the last five
years, with 1.4 billion meals bought over the counter.

The popularity of sandwiches led to an explosion of Subway stores,
eclipsing McDonald's as the most prolific food outlet with 851 stores
nationwide.

Major chains represented 60 per cent of the takeaway market and most
experienced growth, with Pizza Hut, Pinky's Pizza, Pizza Haven and
Chicken Treat the exceptions.

Independent operators, including sandwich bars, reduced in number.

*Australia's top 10 takeaway foods*

1. Sandwiches

2. Hot potato chips

3. Hamburgers

4. Cakes/pastries

5. Chinese food

6. Pizza

7. Fish fried/grilled

8. Icecream

9. Meat pies

10. Filled rolls.


Source: BIS Shrapnel.

- AAP

>>A different survey found that people on more than $85,000 per annum
>>preferred Thai when eating out, the paupers opting for Chinese - not
>>surprising since it tends to be more expensive. The other choices,
>>Italian and Indian, were also ranked differently, but I don't know what
>>indicates.
>>
>>
>
>Well, Australia still has a ways to go in integrating other cultures.
>
>
How do you mean? The four on the list constitute the most common types
of ethnic restaurants. We have every other kind as well, but there
aren't enough Nepalese or Ethiopian to count statistically. I haven't
seen the original survey, so I don't know if they just asked about the
four, or whether respondents were asked to nominate any type they liked.

Christine

> -aem
>
>
>