Food and You 2 Survey: Scotland Wave 10 Key Findings

FSS aims to improve the diet of the population in Scotland, with the vision of a food environment where healthy options are accessible to all.

FSS monitors and publishes data on the out of home food environment, which includes food and drink purchased and consumed outside the home. Eating out of home extends beyond a sit-down meal, and more commonly includes eating 'on the go', takeaways and home delivered food. The out of home environment makes a significant contribution to diets and calories consumed in Scotland, with the food and drink available often high in calories, fat, salt and sugar.

This chapter provides an overview of respondents’ eating out and takeaway ordering habits and the factors that are considered when deciding where to eat out or order a takeaway from.

Eating out and ordering takeaway

Source: Food and You 2 Wave 10 (Scotland)

Respondents were asked where they had eaten out or ordered food from in the previous four weeks[23]. Around three in five had eaten out in a restaurant (60%) or from a café, coffee shop or sandwich shop (either to eat in or take out) (62%). Half had ordered a takeaway directly from a takeaway shop or restaurant (50%) and 35% had eaten out in a pub or bar. Over a third of respondents had eaten food from a fast-food outlet (either to eat in or take out) (37%) or ordered a takeaway via an online food ordering company (for example, Just Eat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats) (32%). Less than one in ten (9%) respondents had not eaten food from any of the listed food businesses in the previous four weeks[24] (Figure 4).   

Whether respondents had eaten food ordered directly from a takeaway in the previous four weeks varied between different categories of people in the following ways:

• Age: Younger respondents were more likely to have eaten food ordered directly from a takeaway in the previous four weeks compared to older respondents. For instance, 68% of 16- to 24-year-olds had eaten food from a takeaway in the previous four weeks compared to 42% of respondents aged 65-74 years.
• Household size: Respondents who lived in larger households were more likely to have eaten food from a takeaway than those who lived in smaller households. For example, 65% of respondents in 4-person households had eaten from a takeaway compared to 39% of respondents living alone.
• Annual household income: Respondents with a higher household income were more likely to have eaten food from a takeaway in the previous four weeks compared to respondents with a lower income. For instance, 63% of respondents with an income between £64,000 and £95,999 had eaten food from a takeaway compared to 46% of those with an income of less than £19,000.
• Socio-economic classification (NS-SEC): Full-time students were more likely to have eaten food from a takeaway (73%) than those in some other occupational groups (for instance, 48% of managerial, administrative and professional occupations).

Whether respondents had eaten food from a café, coffee shop or sandwich shop (either to eat in or to take out) in the previous four weeks varied between different categories of people in the following ways:

• Age: Younger respondents were more likely to have eaten food from a café, coffee shop or sandwich shop than the older age groups. For instance, 72% of 25–34-year-olds had eaten food from a café, coffee shop or sandwich shop compared to 59% of those aged 65 to 74 years.   
• Households with children aged under 16: Households with no children aged under 16 (65%) were more likely to have eaten food from a café, coffee shop or sandwich shop than households with children under 16 (52%).
• Annual household income: Respondents with a higher household income were more likely to have eaten food from a café, coffee shop or sandwich shop compared to respondents with a lower income. For instance, 73% of respondents with an income between £64,000 and £95,999 had eaten food from a café, coffee shop or sandwich shop compared to 50% of those with an income of less than £19,000.
• Socio-economic classification (NS-SEC): Full-time students were more likely to have eaten food from a café, coffee shop or sandwich shop (75%) than those in some other occupational groups (for instance, 44% of semi-routine and routine occupations).
• Food security: Respondents with high food security were more likely to have eaten food from café, coffee shop or sandwich shop (66%) than those with very low food security (51%).

Source: Food and You 2 Wave 10 (Scotland)

Respondents were asked how often they ate out or bought food to take out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner [25] (Figure 5).  

Respondents were least likely to eat out or buy food to take out for breakfast, with 44% of respondents never doing this, compared to 54%   who did (14% eat out or buy a takeaway about once a week or more often, and 40% about 2-3 times a month or less often).

Eating out or buying food to take out for lunch was commonplace among respondents with 84%   reporting doing this (55% doing this 2-3 times a month or less often and 29% doing this about once a week or more often) compared to 16% who never eat out or buy a takeaway for lunch.  

Also commonplace was eating out or buying food to take out for dinner with 90% doing this (63% doing this 2-3 times a month or less often and 27% doing this about once a week or more often) compared to 9% who never did this.
 

Source: Food and You 2 Wave 10 (Scotland)

Those who eat out were most likely to consider the quality of food (83%) and their previous experience of the place (80%) when deciding where to eat. Around a fifth (19%) considered the food hygiene rating when deciding where to eat out[26] (Figure 6).   

Source: Food and You 2 Wave 10 (Scotland)

Those who order takeaways were most likely to consider their previous experience of the takeaway (84%) and the quality of food (72%) when deciding where to order a takeaway from. Less than a fifth (16%) of respondents considered the food hygiene rating when deciding where to order a takeaway from[28](Figure 7).