Executive Summary
The Lunchtime Occasion
in Republic of Ireland and Great Britain
November 2013
Introduction & Research Objectives
This report looks at lunchtime consumption in the Republic of Ireland and Great
Britain.
We were especially interested in understanding the following:

What is being consumed at lunch?

Where is it being consumed?

What is driving food and drink selection?

What is driving the choice of location for purchase and/or consumption?

Understanding the school lunchbox

How much is being spent on average on lunch?

What are the implications for Irish food and drink brands?
Research Method
It was quantitative research that took place from the 5th to the 23rd of September
2013 which comprised of:
•
A questionnaire of 1,000 respondents (571 in ROI and 423 in GB)
•
A seven day diary
•
Providing a total of 7,000 diary entries
The research was carried out on our behalf by Behaviour & Attitudes.
We looked at five core segments in the two markets:

Singles & prefamilies

Mums with primary children (who completed the diary for themselves and
one child)

Mums with secondary children (again who completed the diary for
themselves and one child)

Working Dads

Empty Nesters
These segments make up 88% and 87% of the population in Republic of Ireland and
Great Britain respectively. The unemployed and mums with babies were not
included in the research.
For further information on this study please email info@bordbia.ie or telephone 01
6685155.
Executive Summary
The Republic of Ireland (ROI) and Great Britain (GB) were very similar in terms of
findings around the lunchtime occasion.
Typically we eat our lunch between 12pm and 2pm. We spend an average of 22
minutes per day having our lunch break which rises to 28 minutes on a Sunday.
In Ireland and Great Britain, our lunchtime choices are very alike:

Sandwiches (41% of people in ROI opt for a sandwich compared with 46% in
GB)

Fruit (17% in ROI; 10% in GB)

Soup (12% in ROI; 9% in GB)

Yoghurt (11% in ROI; 11% in GB)

Salad (9% in ROI )

Crisps (8% in GB)
At the weekends, the roast dinner features as a popular lunchtime choice. If we are
lunching at home, our favourite drink to accompany food is tea. However this
changes to coffee if we purchase our lunch (regardless of whether we eat in or take
away).
In ROI, on average we spend €4.91 when eating at home and €7.77 if we eat out of
the home. In GB it is very similar with £4.62 spent on lunch at home, with out of home
averaging at £5.20.
However it’s not all about lunch. One in five of us will work through our lunch break
at least once week. Meanwhile others use the time to stay connected, reading
(both online and offline), making or responding to phone calls and checking our
social media pages. In Great Britain, they like to use the time to go for a walk.
We looked in detail at four venues where people consume lunch:
At home – In ROI, half of respondents (49%) eat their lunch at home, rising to 68% at
the weekend. In Great Britain, 57% eat their lunch at home midweek, rising to 77% at
weekends.
These higher figures in Britain can be attributed to the percentage
breakdown of population with a higher proportion of empty nesters and mums in
Great Britain. 85% purchase their lunches at home during the main grocery shop,
which is similar to Britain at 90%, for reasons of value and convenience.
At work – More than a quarter (29% in ROI and 27% in GB) of all lunches are
consumed in the workplace during the week. However this drops off substantially to
just 7% in ROI and 5% in GB at the weekend.
On the move – This represents the smallest lunch segment at 6% in ROI and 5% in GB
midweek, rising to 8% in ROI and dropping slightly to 4% at the weekend in GB.
In serviced restaurants – One in six (17%) of Irish people will eat their lunch out in a
serviced restaurant during the week and this doesn’t change at the weekend.
Whereas in GB only 9% will eat out midweek, but increases to 16% at the weekend.
The school lunchbox
Mum is in control when it comes to deciding on the components and preparing the
lunchbox. Two thirds of mothers like to vary what is in the lunchbox to ensure their
child will be interested in eating it.
In terms of contents of lunchboxes, ROI would be slightly healthier with sandwiches,
fruit and yoghurt as the key elements. In Great Britain, crisps and chocolate feature
strongly.
Brands do have a role to play in the lunchbox and are rated as more important in
Great Britain than in Ireland.
Finally, €2.63 and £2.39 are considered good value price points for the school
lunchbox.