As families fall back into routines with the start of the school year,
most parents are concerned about saving money and time, and providing
nutritious foods for their families that fit into their household
budgets, according to the new SUPERVALU Back-to-Routine
Survey, which looks at the mealtime habits and concerns of American
families with school-age children.
“Its clear from the survey that todays parents want nutritious,
family-friendly foods that fit their budgets and busy lifestyles”
The Back-to-Routine Survey, which was conducted for the company by
Harris Interactive, also shows that children play a large role in what
goes into their meals whether its influencing the meal decision all
together or personally being responsible for their own breakfast.
SUPERVALU, whose family of grocery stores includes Acme,
Albertsons, Cub Foods, Farm Fresh,
Hornbachers, Jewel-Osco,
Shaws/Star Market, Shop n Save, and Shoppers Food
& Pharmacy, created the survey to gauge how
families with school-age children approach various meal occasions and
what their needs are during the busy school year.
Pinching pennies
According to the inaugural Back-to-Routine Survey, 68 percent of parents
list saving money as their top food-related concern entering the new
school year. Other top concerns among parents nationwide include
finding healthy foods on a budget (52 percent), making mealtime
preparation easier (48 percent), being better prepared for meals (44
percent) and figuring out how to pack healthy lunches (30 percent).
Its clear from the survey that todays parents want nutritious,
family-friendly foods that fit their budgets and busy lifestyles, said
Craig Stacey, SUPERVALUs director of health and wellness marketing. As
families gear up for the school year, we are focused on providing
parents with simple, affordable food solutions and tasty, nutritious
meal ideas that help them ease back into their school-year routines.
The new meal planners: kids
The survey found that 74 percent of children have some or a lot of
influence on the meals their parents make, and 54 percent of kids fend
for themselves in the kitchen for breakfast.
Stuck in the same-old-meal doldrums
Results also show that the foods kids eat throughout the day end up
falling into the same-old-meal doldrums, with cereal preferred for
breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and fruit after school.
Not surprisingly, when asked to describe the type of meal provider they
are, 43 percent of parents chose a spinning wheel someone who
doesnt mind cooking but always seems to make the same four or five
things.
For breakfast, cereal outranks all other items served to school-age
children during the school week, perhaps because the majority of kids
are on their own for breakfast, as noted above.
At lunchtime, roughly one-fourth of children nationwide bring a bag
lunch to school all five days of the week. The top reasons parents say
they pack lunches are to save money (50 percent), to have peace of mind
knowing what their children are eating (41 percent) and to provide a
nutritious meal for their kids because they dont believe that schools
provide them (35 percent).
Among those who carry bag lunches, 93 percent contain sandwiches. Other
top lunch box choices, in rank order, include fruit or fruit juices,
salty snacks such as potato chips and crackers, cookies or dessert
items, vegetables and dairy products such as milk, yogurt or cheese.
After school, fruits or fruit juices are the most frequently served
snack, indicating parents preference for providing healthy snacks for
their kids.
Other findings
Fifty-two percent of families dine together every night of the school
week. Only 4 percent never have a chance to sit down together because
everyone in the family is on a different schedule.
When asked if the amount of money spent on food this year has changed
compared with the prior year, 62 percent of parents reported that they
are spending about the same. Nearly one-third of parents say they are
spending more than last year.
Families food routines vary by market
To help meet its customers needs, the SUPERVALU Back-to-Routine Survey
also took a closer look at the mealtime routines of people living in
markets where its family of stores are located, including the Baltimore
and Washington, D.C., area; Boise, Idaho; Boston; Chicago; Las Vegas;
Minneapolis/St. Paul; Orange County/Los Angeles; Philadelphia; Norfolk,
Va.; St. Louis; and San Diego.
Some of the key findings from these markets include:
Baltimore and Washington, D.C.: Compared with the general
population, this area had a significantly higher percentage of parents
who personally pack bag lunches for their children all five days of
the school week. Parents also had significantly higher frequencies of
packing fruit or fruit juices in their kids lunch bags. Of all the
individual markets surveyed, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., had the
lowest percentage of parents (43 percent) who said that their children
make or serve their own breakfast before school, compared with 54
percent across country.
Boise: This city is by far one of the healthier markets in the
country with significantly higher percentages of parents serving their
school-age kids eggs and meat for breakfast and including vegetables
in their childrens bag lunches. In keeping with the areas strong
agricultural roots, Boise parents also offer more fruits, vegetables
and dairy products to their kids as after-school snacks. Approximately
50 percent of Boise-area parents, the highest in the survey, consider
themselves to be a kitchen god or goddess someone who loves to
cook and is always trying to find new and exciting recipes.
Boston: Children in this market are more likely to
purchase their lunch at school than to bring a bag lunch, compared
with the national average. For after-school snacks, Boston parents
serve a higher percentage of dairy products, cookies or other
desserts, and cereal to their children, than do parents in other
markets across the country. When it comes to meal preparation, Boston
has the highest percentage of parents who describe themselves as
kitchen nightmares someone who tries to prepare meals but they
never seem to come out quite right.
Chicago: Of all the individual markets surveyed, the Windy City
had one of the highest percentages of parents who said they do not
make or serve their children breakfast before school; and as expected,
69 percent of kids in Chicago make breakfast for themselves, compared
with 54 percent nationwide. The city also is home to the significantly
highest percentage of self-proclaimed microwave kings or queens,
compared to the national population and the other individual markets
surveyed.
Las Vegas: Children in this market are significantly more
likely to have a meaty breakfast before school that includes
sausage, bacon or ham, compared with other kids across the United
States. Parents also are more likely than parents in the general
population to pack bag lunches for their children all five days of the
school week (34 percent versus 23 percent). For after-school snacks,
Las Vegas parents are more likely to pick up treats from a
quick-service restaurant or a convenience or grocery store. More than
80 percent of parents in Las Vegas said that their kids have a lot or
some influence on the meals they make the highest rate in the
country.
Los Angeles area: Parents in L.A. are more likely than parents
across the country to pack bag lunches for their children every school
day (30 percent versus 23 percent). Compared with the general
population, Los Angeles-area parents were least likely to describe
themselves as a kitchen god or goddess someone who loves to cook
and is always trying to find new and exciting recipes. Nearly 30
percent of L.A.-area parents (the highest percentage in the survey)
said that their childrens preferences for meals are secondary to
making sure they eat right.
Minneapolis/St. Paul: Parents here are significantly more
likely to be concerned about how to make mealtime preparation easier
(62 percent versus 48 percent nationwide) and how to be better
prepared for meals (58 percent versus 44 percent) than are parents in
general across the nation. The Twin Cities had the highest percentage
of children responsible for making or serving their own breakfast.
Only 12 percent of Twin Cities parents say they personally pack a bag
lunch for their school-age children all five days of the school week,
significantly lower than the 23 percent of parents who do so
nationwide. Children are significantly more likely to find vegetables,
as well as dairy and bread products in their lunch bags, and to get
dairy products for their after-school snacks.
Norfolk: Norfolk had a higher percentage of school-age children
(47 percent) who eat breakfast meats, such as sausage, bacon or ham,
compared with the national population (35 percent). Fruit or fruit
juices also are a popular item among school-age children in the
Norfolk area where 71 percent of parents report they serve it for
breakfast during the school week, compared with 59 percent nationwide.
Compared with the rest of the nation, however, Norfolk-area parents
are more likely to offer their children salty snacks such as potato
chips and crackers (66 percent versus 53 percent) and soda or sports
drinks (30 percent versus 21 percent) after school.
Philadelphia: Parents in Philadelphia are significantly more
likely to serve their school-age children breakfast five times a week
than were parents in the general population (61 percent versus 50
percent). Philadelphia-area parents serve significantly more pancakes,
waffles or French toast to their kids for breakfast than parents on
average across the nation (70 percent versus 62 percent). Compared
with the general population, parents in Philly also are more likely to
pack bag lunches because it gives them peace of mind knowing what
their kids are eating (56 percent versus 41 percent) and because they
want to provide a nutritious meal for their children and dont believe
that schools provide them (50 percent versus 35 percent).
San Diego: Compared with their counterparts across the country,
parents in San Diego are significantly more likely to pack their
childrens lunch bags all five days of the school week. They also
include more bread products in those lunches than the general
population (42 percent versus 27 percent). For after-school snacks,
San Diego parents are more likely to pick up treats from a
quick-service restaurant or a convenience or grocery store. Of all the
individual markets surveyed, San Diego had the lowest percentage of
parents (43 percent) who said that they personally serve their
children breakfast before school all five days of the week.
St. Louis: Children in St. Louis were significantly more likely
than the national population to be served donuts or pastry items for
breakfast before school (40 percent versus 26 percent). Only 14
percent of parents in St. Louis personally pack a bag lunch for their
school-age children all five days during the school week,
significantly lower than the 23 percent of parents who say they do so
nationwide. Childrens lunch bags are significantly more likely than
the national population to include salty snacks such as potato chips
or crackers (88 percent versus 69 percent). Fifty-seven percent of St.
Louis-area parents (the highest percentage in the nation) say they sit
down to dinner with their children every night of the school week. Parents
in St. Louis use product packaging as a source for meal inspiration at
a significantly higher percentage than parents nationally and in the
other markets surveyed.
Additional results from the local market surveys are available upon
request.
Some simple meal planning tips for getting back to routine
The SUPERVALU Back-to-Routine Survey found that friends, family and
cookbooks are the most frequently sought-after sources for meal ideas
and menu advice, followed in rank order by the Internet (48 percent),
magazines and newspapers (42 percent) and television cooking shows (42
percent). Yet there are additional resources available, and theyre as
close as the neighborhood grocery store.
To help consumers address some of their school-year food needs,
SUPERVALU offers the following tips:
Pick up recipes as you shop. Many stores offer easy-to-follow
recipe cards that are available right on the store shelf next to key
items on the ingredient list.
Make use of exclusive store brand items. Private brand foods
and ingredients can offer the same quality and performance as national
brand items but at a lower cost. And, many items are kid-friendly
from pizza to macaroni and cheese to fun dipping sauces for fruits and
veggies.
Ask the butcher for advice. Meat department employees are
experts at helping customers select the perfect cuts and grades of
beef, and also can provide advice on finding items that help stretch
the family budget.
Look for better-for-you cues. Some stores have nutrition
information programs that help shoppers make better-informed,
better-for-you food choices. For example, the nutrition iQ
program, available in select stores among the SUPERVALU family,
features easy-to-see shelf tags that call out the top one or two
nutritional benefits of products at all price points throughout the
center store that meet qualifying criteria.
Here are a few ideas from SUPERVALUs team of corporate dietitians for
parents to use for packing a school lunch their kids wont trade or
throw away:
Get kids involved in the decision making. Make a chart divided
into five categories: main food, fruit, vegetables, snack/dessert and
drink. Sit down with your child and fill in the chart together. Be
sure each lunch contains a protein source, a fruit and/or vegetable, a
whole grain item and a drink such as milk.
Make portions small. An ideal lunch has enough calories to fuel
brain and motor activity but not too many, which can cause sleepiness
after lunch. In many cases, lunchtime is only 30 to 45 minutes long,
so keep portion sizes small. Most younger kids like to spend the time
playing, not eating. If they need more calories, pay more attention to
the after-school snack.
Make it fun. We all eat with our eyes first. Make lunch look
appealing. Use fruit for color, and try packing a lunch with a small
surprise, such as hand-written notes or jokes. Consider including a
dip somehow foods always taste better with light ranch dressing,
ketchup or salsa.
Dont forget the leftovers. When planning dinner, make sure to
have leftovers, which can be great additions to the lunch bag. Good
lunchtime leftovers include pizza, quesadillas, rotisserie chicken
sandwiches, spaghetti and leftover pasta tossed with ham, veggies and
a favorite dressing.
Shoppers can find more mealtime and snack ideas both in-store and online
at their local stores websites.
About SUPERVALU INC.
SUPERVALU INC. is one of the largest companies in the U.S. grocery
channel with estimated annual sales of $38 billion. SUPERVALU serves
customers across the United States through a network of approximately
4,270 stores composed of approximately 1,160 traditional retail stores,
including 820 in-store pharmacies; 1,190 hard-discount stores, of which
870 are operated by licensee owners; and 1,920 independent stores
serviced primarily by the companys traditional food distribution
business. SUPERVALU has approximately 154,000 employees. For more
information about SUPERVALU, visit www.supervalu.com.
Editors note: SUPERVALU created the Back-to-Routine Survey to better
understand the mealtime habits of families with school-age children
during the school year. This study, which was conducted by Harris
Interactive, was an 8-minute online survey among a total of 3,074
25-plus-year-old parents of school-age children between July 27 and Aug.
11, 2010. The research took place in the following markets with the
following sample sizes: Baltimore and Washington, D.C., 200; Boise,
Idaho, 165; Boston, 200; Chicago, 200; Las Vegas, 201; Minneapolis/St.
Paul, 200; Los Angeles/Orange County, 204; Philadelphia, 200; Norfolk,
Va., 201; San Diego, 200; St. Louis, 200; and other areas across the
country, 1,003.

Source: Business Wire