Now that the summer holidays are over for many families, it's time to get back into their daily routine. But what are the eating habits of young families? Do they eat together and at a fixed time? HelloFresh conducted research into these rituals among 1000 parents in the Netherlands.
At table before seven
Around dinner, Dutch families like fixed routines and habits. For example, the majority of the respondents (60%) indicate that it is important to eat at a fixed time, preferably before 19:00 (91%). It is also an excellent time of the day to spend together. 4 out of 5 families eat together at least 5 evenings a week, during the summer holidays this percentage is slightly lower (75%). The kitchen table remains the favorite place of Dutch families to discuss their daily worries during dinner (90%), although one in three families moves dinner to the garden when the weather is nice in the summer.
Save time
Going back to school reinforces parents' desire to introduce a little more routine into the day. Meal planning takes longer during the school year, averaging between 15 and 30 minutes (49%). 1 in 4 parents also indicate that they would like to eat earlier during the school period and finish eating sooner (28%) compared to the summer holidays. This is confirmed by the figures from HelloFresh:In the first week of September 2019, the demand for meal boxes increased by 45 percent compared to the week before.
Easy and fast
The research also shows that the vast majority of Dutch parents (85%) spend an average of no more than 35 minutes preparing the evening meal. With the Quick &Easy recipes from HelloFresh it is possible to save time here and a fresh and nutritious dish is ready within 20 to 25 minutes. This leaves more time for other things such as eating together.
