Money, time, and effort

The cost of food in the US averages 10% of income, down from 14% in 1970. About 40% of each food dollar buys food prepared outside the home, up from 26% in the 1970s. In 1965, North Americas spent an average of 44 minutes preparing meals and 21 minutes cleaning up. By 1995, just 27 minutes included preparing meals and clean-up took four minutes. In 1987, 43% of all home-cooked meals contained at least one item made from scratch, by 1997, this rate decreased to 38%. More than 90% of North Americans consume food each day that was prepared away from the home.