Lifestyles Related to Eating Habits in Ready Meal Consumption

In the last ten years the ready meals market has had considerable growth with an average of 4.0% in value and 3.0% in volume per year. Several factors have contributed to this growth. The changes in the lifestyle of individuals in the Western world have increased the demand for convenience in the preparation of meals. Consumers work more hours, spend more time in traffic and wish to maximise their increasingly diminished leisure time; therefore, they demand both products and services that facilitate and support a busy life. As a reaction to this demand the Food Industry has expanded its options of ready-to-eat food. The main objective of this study is to characterise the influence of lifestyles in the habit of eating these meals. We present an analysis about the health, flavour, convenience and tradition dimensions in the consumption of ready-to-eat products and eating habits of consumers'' samples from São Paulo and Rome. The concepts of lifestyles, multiculturalism, eating habits and the consumption of ready meals are revised. According to the results, the consumers of both cities present different styles regarding eating habits. More elderly populations from southern Europe are traditional regarding their eating habits. Similarly, in this work, consumers of Rome in general present greater concern with tradition and health in comparison to São Paulo. The Germanic cultures are more concerned with health, while in Italy the sensorial element would matter more. This study indicated that in São Paulo there is a great emphasis in convenience and flavour. The city of São Paulo takes pride in being a gastronomical centre and many of the social activities of the city''s habitants takes place at gatherings that involve feeding; therefore the importance of flavour aspect is easily explained. Simultaneously, the convenience aspect is supported by another characteristic of the city: the fact that it is a large urban centre. The circumstances of contemporary life and the impacts of advertisement have changed the acquisition and consumption of food, highlighting the relevance of prepared food in São Paulo. It is believed that the results of this line of investigation are relevant not only to professionals that work on the development of new products, positioning of brands and products that operate in the current markets, but also to the distributors that commercialise food products and the food packaging industry.