ERS is a primary source 

of economic research and 

analysis from the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, 

providing timely information on economic and policy 

issues related to agriculture, 

food, the environment, and 

rural America.

United States Department of Agriculture

A report summary from the Economic Research Service September 2018

America’s Eating Habits: 

Food Away From Home

Michelle J. Saksena, Abigail M. Okrent, Tobenna D. Anekwe, Clare 

Cho, Christopher Dicken, Anne Effland, Howard Elitzak, Joanne 

Guthrie, Karen S. Hamrick, Jeffrey Hyman, Young Jo, Biing-Hwan 

Lin, Lisa Mancino, Patrick W. McLaughlin, Ilya Rahkovsky, Katherine 

Ralston, Travis A. Smith, Hayden Stewart, Jessica Todd, and 

Charlotte Tuttle

What Is the Issue?

Over the past several decades, Americans have grown to rely on the convenience of foods 

prepared outside of the home. Unfortunately, food away from home (FAFH) often contains fewer 

fruits and vegetables and have more calories, fat, and sodium than food prepared at home (FAH), 

and consuming FAFH is associated with obesity. Recently passed labeling legislation aims to 

help consumers make healthier FAFH choices and to encourage FAFH suppliers to produce more 

healthful options. To explore Americans’ eating away from home behavior, this report presents 

research on three broad FAFH topics: (1) food choices and availability; (2) nutrition and diet 

quality; and (3) food policies, including menu labeling and food assistance programs.

What Did the Study Find?

Food choices and availability of FAFH. Over the past 30 years, FAFH’s share of U.S. households’ food budgets and total food spending grew steadily. FAFH options also became more 

widely available as growing numbers and types of businesses—including grocery stores—

served prepared foods. Apart from the Great Recession (2007-09), these trends continued uninterrupted from 1987 to 2017, but the changes were not uniform across socioeconomic groups or 

business types. 

•	 Spending on FAFH surpassed spending on FAH for the first time in 2010, increasing its share 

of total food spending from 44 percent (30 years prior) in 1987 to 50.2 percent in 2010. 

•	 Higher income households spent more on FAFH and bought it more frequently than 

lower income households. Households with incomes greater than 300 percent of the 

Federal poverty guidelines obtained FAFH on 5.5 occasions per week, while households 

whose incomes were less than or equal to Federal poverty guidelines obtained FAFH on 

4.2 occasions per week.

•	 For households with an elderly individual (over 64 years old), the share of household food 

spending on FAFH was 8 percent lower than for other households. Also, Americans who 

were 35–44 years old consumed FAFH more often than other Americans.

www.ers.usda.gov

United States Department of Agriculture

America’s Eating Habits: 

Food Away From Home

Michelle J. Saksena, Abigail M. Okrent, Tobenna D. 

Anekwe, Clare Cho, Christopher Dicken, Anne Effland, 

Howard Elitzak, Joanne Guthrie, Karen S. Hamrick, Jeffrey 

Hyman, Young Jo, Biing-Hwan Lin, Lisa Mancino, Patrick 

W. McLaughlin, Ilya Rahkovsky, Katherine Ralston, Travis A. 

Smith, Hayden Stewart, Jessica Todd, and Charlotte Tuttle

Economic

Research

Service

Economic

Information

Bulletin

Number 196

September 2018

Summary
•	 In 2000–15, quick-service restaurants (QSRs), also referred to as fast-food and limited-service restaurants, drove the industry’s growth both in sales and number of outlets. The fastest-growing segment of 

the QSRs was fast casuals—e.g., Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panera Bread—which combines counter 

service with the perceived ambiance and product quality of full-service restaurants (FSRs).

•	 Much of the growth in foodservice establishments occurred in urban U.S. counties, consistent with 

patterns of urban and rural migration. As rural populations declined, FSRs in rural areas were particularly hard hit, leaving QSRs to dominate.

•	 Spending on FAFH declined during the Great Recession, by $47 billion (18 percent) in real dollars 

from 2006 to 2010, and rebounded thereafter. 

•	 During the Great Recession, households replaced spending at FSRs with unprepared foods purchased at 

retail stores (like grocery stores), but households’ share of spending for QSRs stayed constant. In 2014, 

household expenditures on FAFH had yet to rebound to pre-Recession levels.

•	 Despite the downturn in household spending on FAFH during the Great Recession, the number of chain 

QSRs grew, and consumers spent a greater share of their FAFH dollars at these restaurants.

Nutritional composition and diet quality. The nutritional composition of FAFH across all income levels 

and all FAFH types (except school foods) was consistently lower quality and more caloric than that of FAH. 

Though FAFH is known to have lower diet quality, access to FAFH did not seem to affect FAFH consumption 

and did not correlate with diminished overall diet quality. 

•	 FAFH’s share of total average daily energy intake increased from 17 percent in 1977–78 to 34 percent 

in 2011–12, and consumption of QSR foods was the largest source of this growth. 

•	 On the whole, FAFH contained more saturated fats and sodium, and less calcium, iron, and fiber than 

FAH—however, the nutritional composition of FAFH varied across outlet types. For example, in 2009–

12, the fat content of school lunches (a type of FAFH) was almost identical to that of FAH (33 percent) 

while the fat content of QSR foods averaged 39 percent.

•	 Although frequent QSR customers purchased less vegetables, fish, and nuts, their overall diet quality 

was no worse than that of QSR nonconsumers.

Policies that affect FAFH. FAFH consumption is influenced by public policy mainly on two fronts. First, 

current food assistance programs with in-kind food benefits affect food choices and diet quality of participating low-income households. For example, new requirements that improve nutrition of school meals 

directly affect children’s diet quality. Second, new menu labeling regulations may help consumers make more 

informed food choices at restaurants. 

•	 The average household Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2010) for FAFH was lower than for FAH, regardless 

of SNAP participation or income. 

•	 School meals provided by the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program 

contained higher levels of calcium than both FAH and other sources of FAFH and adhered better to 

USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans than other sources of FAFH. 

How Was the Study Conducted?

This report uses a variety of data sources and techniques to examine FAFH trends. The analysis was done 

primarily using descriptive statistics (e.g., means, differences, and correlations) and literature review. The main 

data sources were the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), USDA ERS’s Food 

Expenditure Series, the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS), the Consumer 

Expenditure Survey, U.S. Census Bureau’s Monthly Retail Trade and Foodservices series, NPD ReCount, and 

Euromonitor Passport. These data sources include self-reported information and measurable individual characteristics collected by household survey, establishment information, and proprietary industry data. 

www.ers.usda.gov