When do Americans eat and drink?

Americans spend time eating and drinking as a primary, or main, activity and as a secondary activity while doing something else, such as working or watching television. Time use surveys show that in 2006-08, primary eating and drinking peaked at noon and 6 pm, with about 30 percent of Americans age 15 or older reporting this use of their time. Secondary eating and drinking was more steady throughout the day. Between 9 am and 9 pm, an average of 9 percent of Americans engaged in secondary drinking and 7 percent in secondary eating. This chart appeared in How Much Time Do Americans Spend on Food?, EIB-86, November 2011.

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