Rosemont, Ill., July 28, 2008 – The brown-bagged lunch is becoming an increasingly popular workplace accessory these days, according to a new study from The NPD Group, a leading market research company. NPD reports weekday lunches carried from home reached a new high point in 2007, with adults, 18 and older, carrying some 8.5 billion brown bag lunches last year. More than half of these lunches are consumed at the workplace, and most often at the eater’s desk or workstation.
According to the NPD report, entitled, “What’s in the Bag and Why Is It in There?,” the majority of consumers said they carry their lunch from home more often due to financial reasons mostly because it’s cheaper than other options. Health and nutrition concerns ranked second as a reason to brown bag, followed by convenience, taste, diet, quality, and environmental concerns. Among consumers who typically brown-bag, nearly half said they are doing so more often.
“Consumers are definitely in a cost-cutting mode, and brown-bagging saves them money,” says Harry Balzer, vice president, The NPD Group, and author of Eating Patterns in America. “Making lunch at home and putting it in a bag also enables them to have full control over what goes into the bag as many are concerned about eating better.”
The NPD study finds that adult males carry more brown-bagged lunches than others, yet quite often, females are the preparers. Brown-bagging is more common among 35- to 54-year-olds, white collar consumers and professionals, and more affluent consumers.
What goes in the brown bags varies, but typically, it’s fruit, chips, and some type of sandwich, but these items differ by gender and age, reports NPD. Cookies replace the chips in kids’ lunches; a poultry sandwich replaces chips for men; and women are more inclined to opt for healthier choices like yogurt and veggies. Among the total population, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are the most popular sandwich type and carbonated soft drinks are the dominant beverage choice.
“We’re seeing yogurt and frozen entrees gaining in popularity in carried lunches, and lunchmeat sandwiches, chips, or ham sandwiches declining,” says Arnie Schwartz, who heads up The NPD Group’s food and beverage unit. “Over the last several years, leftovers are increasingly a part of brown-bagged lunches.”
According to the report, brown-bagging is a planned behavior. Nearly half of consumers decide they want to brown-bag the day before or earlier, and two out of three brown-bagged lunches are prepared the morning of the same day. Over a third of consumers who brown-bag lunches do so three times a week or more, and in the middle of the week rather than on Monday or Friday.
“Brown-bagging is an extension of Americans now preparing and eating the majority of their meals at home,” says Balzer. “Home is not only where the heart is, it’s where the food is too.”
About The NPD Group, Inc.
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