Title: What Drives Consumers to Purchase Convenience Foods? | USDA
Headings: What Drives Consumers to Purchase Convenience Foods?
What Drives Consumers to Purchase Convenience Foods?
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Ken Kendall
Frank G
Joseph Bennett

Content: In addition, single parents, who do not have a partner to help out with child care, purchase 14 percent more ready-to-eat foods than all other households. Financial resources also play an important role in convenience food choices. Convenience foods from fast-food or full-service restaurants tend to be more expensive than those bought from grocery stores. Not surprisingly, as household incomes rise, households shift from ready-to-eat food from grocery stores to fast-food and full-service restaurant meals. On the other hand, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides program participants with funds to purchase food from grocery stores, and as a result, SNAP participants tend to buy more food from grocery stores and less from restaurants than non-participants who are eligible for SNAP. Consumers’ decisions on how much of different types of convenience foods they purchase is influenced by time constraints, prices, the food environment, and financial resources. Understanding what motivates these consumers to purchase convenience foods has important implications for public health, given that convenience foods are often associated with lower nutritional value. Time constraints due to employment are associated with greater preference for convenience foods. Category/Topic: Research and Science
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