Research undertaken to understand out of home purchasing habits, attitudes towards improving the OOH environment, use of marketing strategies, and the nutritional content of OOH foods
Eating out of home extends beyond the sit down meal and includes the food we eat ‘on the go’ as well as from takeaways. The food and drink we buy and consume from the out of home environment tends to be less healthy, and for those consuming out of home foods, accounts for around 23% of the calories consumed.
Our research reports look at the following themes:
Food Standards Scotland publishes data on the out of home food and drink landscape, including how this environment has changed over time, the types of outlets visited, and the most popular foods and drinks purchased.
Most recent reports:
Previous reports:
To address a gap in the evidence base, we commissioned bespoke research to understand the availability of online nutrition information and the use of marketing strategies by branded out of home businesses in Scotland:
Limited data exists around the nutritional content of foods and drinks available outside the home. As part of Scottish Government’s out of home action plan, Food Standards Scotland have been tasked with developing a monitoring and evaluation strategy to assess the impact of the suite of measures stated in the plan:
In 2024, Food Standards Scotland published an updated position on the provision of calorie information by out of home outlets, recognising the need to explore the feasibility of providing broader nutrition information, and exploring the potential to provide this information on an on-request basis, rather than at the point of choice.
To support out of home outlets to provide healthier foods, Public Health Scotland and Food Standards Scotland are developing a voluntary Eating Out, Eating Well Framework and Code of Practice for children’s menus. This is one of the range of interventions included in the Scottish Government’s out of home action plan. Research was carried out with a range of small and independent outlets in Scotland to inform the development of the framework.
In November 2019, Food Standards Scotland consulted on ‘Proposals to Improve the OOH environment in Scotland’. An independent analysis of responses to this consultation was published after the consultation closed, alongside results from qualitative research with low income consumers.
