Shorter lunch breaks in Ireland present opportunity for FMCG

This is up significantly from the one in three (33%) reporting hybrid work pre-pandemic

Opportunity to target those who frequently skip lunch with 'convenient, fast and exciting options'

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Shorter lunch times mean that one out of five Irish consumers skip lunch almost every day, a new global consumer survey by Canadean reveals.

According to the survey of 1,000 adults based in Ireland, 44% actually skip their afternoon meal at least twice during the working week.

Kirsty Nolan, analyst with Canadean, says: “Nowadays, many busy employees who feel under pressure to meet their work commitments grab a quick bite at their desk, if anything at all. Even though this might initially sound like bad news, shorter lunch breaks actually present a huge opportunity for FMCG manufactures to target busy consumers with convenient, fast and exciting options.”

To date, manufacturers have been paying a lot of attention to consumers skipping breakfast, with innovators constantly creating the latest on-the-go breakfast solution. According to Canadean, the morning goods category, which includes ready-to-eat baked products such as croissants, pancakes and toaster pastries, had a volume of 4.5 million kilograms in 2014, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 2.7% over the next five years.

The survey reveals that six out of ten consumers in Ireland agree that convenient food can also be tasty, while roughly the same number (62%) find food appealing that suits their needs for comfort. “The strategy to reignite lunch time might lie in offering consumers a moment of comfort and relaxation with a fast and appetising lunch option,” Nolan added.

The Canadean results tie in with research released by online takeaway ordering service, Just Eat last week, as the company announced a new lunchtime offering. This revealed that almost 54% of people eat their lunch within 10 – 20 minutes. The majority of those surveyed spend €5 – €10 per day (55.4%) with a thrifty few (36.1%) spending under €5 per day on their lunch. During the working week the vast majority of people opt for a trusty sandwich at lunchtime (45%) with a further 13.2% opting for a wrap, followed by a salad at 9.3%.  The vast majority of people like to treat themselves on a Friday (69.8%).

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