Our favourite foods

In a time when vegetarian meals are a regular part of many people’s lives, half of Australia’s favourite meals contain red meat. This is the finding of a study done over one week in May 2009 by The Clever Stuff research agency.

The report from this study has just been released by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and is called “Last Night’s Dinner”. The study surveyed 1,421 people about the dinner meal they ate the night before and represented 1,007 meals prepared in the home and 414 meals eaten outside the home.

Steak and vegetables is the number one in the top ten dishes in this country.

“Last Night’s Dinner” gives all in the food industry an insight into Australian’s food preferences and their practices for main meals. Of particular interest is the finding that we are still eating together around the table and that we are cooking meals from scratch more often.

“Taking a look at Last night’s dinner gives the industry a better understanding of our consumers and what drives their meal time decisions,” said Andrew Cox, MLA’s consumer research manager.

“The results debunk some of the myths about what we are eating for dinner, and there is some great news for the red meat industry.”

“Australians are interested in expanding their cooking repertoires, and this has been reinforced by TV cooking shows and a strong focus on diet, food and weight in the media. That’s why resources such as ENTICE – MLA’s beef meals how-to guide featuring tips and recipes for consumers – are proving popular at the retail counter,” said Mr Cox.

The Report showed that the top four meals were;

• Steak and vegetables
• roast chicken and vegetables,
• spaghetti bolognaise
• beef casserole/stew/curry/stroganoff
Other findings include;
• Red meat meals include a greater number of vegetables on the plate than other protein options.
• Both lamb chops/cutlets and lamb roast with vegetables were in the top 10 dishes
• Australians are staying in with more than 7 out of 10 meals prepared and cooked at home.
• 63 per cent of meal preparers prefer to cook a meal from scratch.
• Women still do most of the cooking at home, but men are demonstrating a willingness to be more involved in the process. However, they are more likely to receive help and prepare fewer vegetables.

For more information – www.mla.com.au