Consumer Demand for Convenience Foods: Demographics and Expenditures

Abstract

The market for convenience foods in the USA is growing, with nominal dollar sales showing a 53% increase between 1987 and 1998. The impact of economic and socioeconomic factors on purchases of these foods was investigated. Expenditure on ready meals was found to increase as income increased and to decrease as the age of the head of the household increased. Married households spent less on convenience foods than single consumers, but households with children showed a greater preference for more ready meals than households without children. The number of wage earners did not explain differences in expenditures on convenience foods between households. On the basis of these results it is suggested that changing lifestyles and family structures, as well as economic factors such as price and income, may drive the demand for and expenditure on ready meals in the USA.