America’s Eating Habits: Food Away From Home

by Michelle Saksena, Abigail Okrent, Tobenna D. Anekwe, Clare Cho, Chris Dicken, Anne Effland, Howard Elitzak, Joanne Guthrie, Karen Hamrick, Jeffrey Hyman, Young Jo, Biing-Hwan Lin, Lisa Mancino, Patrick W. McLaughlin, Ilya Rahkovsky, Katherine Ralston, Travis A. Smith, Hayden Stewart, Jessica E. Todd, and Charlotte Tuttle

Edited by Michelle Saksena, Abigail M. Okrent, and Karen S. Hamrick

This report examines the growing availability of food away from home (FAFH), presenting research on food choices and availability; nutrition and diet quality; and food policies, including menu labeling and food assistance programs. It also examines how FAFH choices relate to diet quality and sociodemographic characteristics.

See related Amber Waves article: Food Spending of Middle-Income Households Hardest Hit by the Recession.

Keywords: food away from home (FAFH), food at home (FAH), diet, nutrition, health, food assistance, food consumption, school lunch programs, fast food, quick service, limited service, full service, food expenditures, the Great Recession, Healthy Eating Index (HEI), Food Acquisition and Purchases Survey (FoodAPS), Food Expenditure Series, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), menu labeling, restaurant location

In this publication...

• Entire Report
• Report summary
• Introduction
• A Brief History of Food Away From Home in the United States
• A Retrospective of Food-Away-From-Home Expenditures From 1987 to 2017
• Food Away From Home During the Great Recession
• Demographics of Food-Away-From-Home Frequency
• Evolution of the Food-Away-From-Home Industry: Recent and Emerging Trends
• Impacts on Nutrient Intakes From Increased Food-Away-From-Home Consumption
• How Food Environment and Proximity to Restaurants Affect Nutritional Quality
• What Role Does Food Away From Home Play in the Diets of Food Assistance Recipients?
• Menu Labeling