Eating out of the home has become a regular part of our modern lives. Across Scotland, 96% of us ate out of home in 2021. With a quarter of our calories estimated to come from the sector, it has a crucial role to play in providing healthy, nutritious and palatable food that can help address the burden of diet-related disease in Scotland.
Key Insights:
- In 2021, 96% of people in Scotland reported visiting an OOH outlet with an average of just under three trips a week per person.
- Quick service restaurants (QSRs), which are fast food outlets and takeaways, generate the most business in the OOH sector in Scotland, making up 34% of total sector spend.
- In 2021, quick meals, hot and cold drinks, and sweet snacks saw the highest number of OOH trips in Scotland.
- Evidence shows that OOH options tend to contain higher quantities of salt, sugar, and fat than similar food and drink available in retail outlets such as supermarkets.
- A variety of factors related to OOH visits contribute to the health impacts of the sector, which include location and planning of outlets, availability of nutrition information, portion sizes, and marketing.