- A fifth of millennials do not know how to cook a healthy meal from scratch
- Takeaway meals directly linked to type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease in children
- 25 MILLION Britons unsure of ingredients in the food they eat
- Shopping app Ubamarket – that eases the hassle of the supermarket shop – reveals how take-out convenience may be killing Brits
We are becoming a nation of convenience eaters – We may not be aware of the alarming health implications that microwave-meals and take-outs have on our bodies. BMJ Journals states that the amount of takeaways consumed by children ages nine to 10 can lead to coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity.
In light of this, innovative white-label shopping app, Ubamarket has conducted a yet unreleased study across 2,000 UK adults which found over half of Brits are unaware of what makes the takeout food they eat. However, with 22 million fast-food and takeaway meals being consumed every week in the UK – according to Cancer Research UK – and a fifth of millennials unsure on how to cook a balanced meal, Ubamarket research highlights the critical value of a more appetising supermarket experience:
- 59% of Brits – 24,954,000 people – are not 100% confident that they know all of the ingredients that is in the food that they order online/ in-app
- 10% of Brits – 4,180,000 people – consider home delivery services as an integral way to eating a full meal in the week
- Of this 4 million people, 17% of millennials – 832,000 people – will order a takeaway to ensure they eat a full meal in the week
- 10% of Brits – 4,683,000 people – don’t know how to cook a good/ healthy meal from scratch
- 8% of Brits – 3,770,000 people – say the majority of their main meals are microwave meals
- 7% of Brits – 3,162,000 people – eat more takeout food than home-cooked food
- 5% of Brits – 2,182,000 people – order takeout food more than 3 times a week
Ubamarket’s research reveals that with many of us living very busy lives, Brits prefer the convenience of takeaways than conducting a weekly shop. Over half of Brits are unaware of the ingredients in take-out food and may not be aware of the severe health implications that this may have on our bodies – frequent takeaway meal consumption has been consistently associated with obesity and coronary heart disease risk.
As the nation turns away from home-cooked food, a report this week by Kantar has also revealed that supermarket sales have fallen by 0.5% over the last quarter and the ‘big four’ have all seen a drop in sales of at least 2%. In attempt to bring Brits back to the grocery shop and live healthier lifestyles, Ubamarket’s app strives to make the shopping experience more convenient by allowing customers to shop by recipe, by the layout of a store and by being able to ‘scan-and-go’ products without having to queue:
- 30% of Brits – 13,984,000 people – find travelling to the supermarket to do a traditional weekly shop an inconvenince
- 25% of Brits – 12,307,000 people – say making their own food is a boring task
- 14% of Brits – 6,928,000 people – say they have no time for making their own food in the evening/ during the week
- 31% – 13,829,000 people – of Brits believe delivery services are too easy and quick to say no to
Will Broome, CEO and Founder of Ubamarket comments on how retailers could enhance their in-store offerings to make the shopping experience more streamlined, more customer-friendly and why it could be beneficial for Brits to once again turn towards food shopping in stores:
“Our research has unveiled that many of us find that nearly 7 million of us feel as if they do not have time to make food in the evening. However, meal prepartions and regular in-store food shops can prove to be beneficial to many Brits. Provided retailers adapt to the changing consumer landscape, Brits will be able to consistently go to stores for their grocery shopping instead of ordering takeaways. Shopping in-store has the ability to save customers time and money and home-cooking can provide many health benefits. If shops were to implement retail tech, such as apps that guide you around the store, allow you to write shopping lists and implement scan-and-go technology, that would encourage shoppers up and down the country to make the most of the benefits that bricks and moratr stores have to offer.”
If you are struggling with eating healthier, get yourself a lovely lunch box set that will encourage you to use it and pack lunch every day.