Eating location trends in a representative sample of Irish adults

The majority of meals consumed by Irish adults were prepared at home (78% of all eating occasions); however, a large proportion of the population ate at least one meal outside the home (79.7% consumers or 19 % of all eating occasions). Restaurants (7.3 %) and work (6.1%) were the most common eating places outside of the home. Among those people who ate ‘outside of the home’, food and drink eaten at work contributed the highest percentage to dietary energy (19.1 %), followed by food consumed in restaurants (14.4%). This data suggests that the home should be the main focus for anti-obesity campaigns in Irish adults; however, workplaces and restaurants should also be considered. Further work will be completed to explore the macro- and micronutrient intakes at each location.