At A Glance
Noteworthy Characteristics
- Examines consumption habits of children and adults, identifying all foods and drinks consumed by time of day, both in-home and away-from-home. It also offers in-depth consumer insight on the reasons behind consumers’ morning food and beverage choices through segmentation analysis of those occasions.
- Morning: Provides data from panelists’ reports on “yesterday’s” consumption behavior. The morning mealtime is considered to last from the time the panelist wakes up until 11:00 am. Information is acquired from both adults and children.
- Lunchtime: Explores the situational and attitudinal drivers of lunchtime food and beverage choices, plus key aspects of meal planning, preparation and cooking, and product satisfaction.
- Dinnertime: Identifies appetizer, entrees, side dishes, desserts and beverages eaten at dinnertime and reveals the needs consumers seek to fulfill through their foods and beverage choices. Similarities and differences between what households members eat when they are together versus when they eat in shifts is examined, along with adult-only meal situation versus adults and child meal situations.
Website
https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/industry-expertise/food/
Purpose
To collect data about drivers of food and beverage choices by individuals in the United States.
Target Population
U.S. consumers, ages 2 years and older.
Conducted
Breakfast: 2006 and 2011
Lunch: 2007
Dinner: 2004 and 2009
Sponsor
The NPD Group.
Special Note(s)
The NPD Group
Laura Jurek
Laura.jurek@npd.com
847-685-1051
Sampling
Sample Design
Cross-sectional panel survey. Uses NPD National Eating Trends (NET) panel. The Mealscape database was weighted to produce a nationally representative sample of U.S. consumers based on: age/sex, household size, household income, presence/age of children in household, Census regions, metropolitan statistical area (MSA) size, and race (white vs. non-white).
Sample Size
Varies by year survey conducted, up to 25,000 individuals.
Key Variables
Demographic
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Age | Interview/questionnaire |
| Sex | Interview/questionnaire |
| Household size | Interview/questionnaire |
| Household income | Interview/questionnaire |
| Presence/age of children | Interview/questionnaire |
| Race (white vs. non-white) | Interview/questionnaire |
Diet-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Situational drivers (e.g., presence of children during consumption) | Interview/questionnaire |
| Attitudinal drivers (e.g., needs fulfilled) | Interview/questionnaire |
| Meal planning, preparation and cooking habits | Interview/questionnaire |
| Product satisfaction | Interview/questionnaire |
| Type of food item consumed | Interview/questionnaire |
| Time of consumption | Interview/questionnaire |
Geocode/Linkage
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Census region | N/A |
Data Access and Cost
Data Availability
Obtain data by contacting NPD Group:
Laura Jurek
Laura.jurek@npd.com
847-685-1051
Cost
Fee-based
Geocode/Linkage
Geocode Variable(s)
Census Region
Existing Linkages
Mealscapes data on U.S. households have been linked to National Eating Trends data on American food consumption using a follow-up survey.
Selected Publications
None noted.
