Food Standards Scotland: The Out of Home Environment in Scotland (June 2015 - June 2018)
Published:
Food Standards Scotland (FSS) commissioned Kantar Worldpanel to provide data on the Out of Home (OOH) food and drink landscape in Scotland between June 2015 and 2018. This report provides evidence on how this environment has changed over time, including the types of businesses visited and the most popular foods and drinks purchased OOH.
The key findings of the report include:
- People in Scotland make 960 million visits to OOH, spending around £4.5 bn a year. The average person visits OOH around 4 times a week.
- 75% of visits in Scotland are made to convenience stores, bakery and sandwich shops, supermarkets, quick service restaurants and coffee shops and cafes.
- The top 5 brands in Scotland were Tesco, Greggs, McDonalds, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s.
- The most popular foods and drinks purchased OOH were coffee, carbonated drinks, sandwiches, confectionery, tea, cakes, biscuits and pastries, chips, water, juice/juice drinks and crisps/savoury snacks.
- Lunch and snack times are the largest OOH eating occasion in Scotland.
- Most people are motivated by enjoyment and practicality rather than health when eating out.
- Scotland buys around 11% of OOH items on promotion, with meal deals and multi-buys being the main form of promotion when eating out.
- The most popular food categories for children overall are sausage/hot dog meals, chicken meals, ice cream, chips, burger and pizza meals, while the most popular drinks are dairy drinks, juice/juice drinks and hot chocolate.
- 9% of OOH visits in Scotland are takeaways, with the proportion of takeaway visits in Scotland being higher and growing faster than in GB as a whole.
Holly Gabriel, Nutrition Campaigner at Action on Sugar said:
"Our research shows time and time again that we need clearer, more transparent labelling when we eat out in cafes and restaurants. Our survey on milkshakes and ‘freakshakes’ last year showed the sheer lack of information available and where it was available it was displayed on a spreadsheet available online. We found some ‘freakshakes’ contained up to 1280 calories and 156 grams of sugar in one serving. We need clearer labelling that is mandatory for all businesses to create a level playing field and allow everyone to make informed choices when they eat out.”
Lorraine Tulloch, Programme Lead of Obesity Action Scotland said:
“Last year our work indicated that an average bag of chips could unknowingly provide a woman with half her recommended daily calorie intake. The proposed measures will ensure that consumers are fully informed about what they are buying and that the food industry improve their offering. However, a lot of these measures rely on voluntary action by food premises and do not address marketing and promotion of unhealthy products out of home. The new Out of Home Strategy needs to empower and help people make healthier choices every day. We will be carefully monitoring progress to ensure Scots get the heathier choices they desire for themselves and their children.”
