THE HECTOR COORDINATION ACTION

Eating out: Habits, Determinants, and Recommendations for Consumers and the European Catering Sector

  Eating out is no longer just for special occasions. It appears that modern living is causing people to eat out more and more. Whether they choose a quick casual meal taken on the run, lunch from the school canteen, snacks at the bar, leisurely picnics or formal restaurant dining, it is clear that food is now readily available in great variety for people to eat beyond their dining rooms.

  There is rising concern about the role of unwise dietary choices in nutrition-related disorders and chronic diseases. However, there are limited published data on how and what Europeans are choosing to eat out.

HECTOR Project objectives:

• To enhance knowledge on eating out in Europe
• To identify Europeans’ dietary patterns when eating out, including meals, foods and nutrients
• To determine how various lifestyle factors influence the eating out choices of European consumers
• To evaluate the practices of catering-related enterprises of varying sizes and their impact on their customers’ dietary choices
• To establish a methodological framework for monitoring food choices of European consumers when they eat out
• To develop strategies and measures for promoting healthy eating out, not least through the creation of a network of medical doctors, public health professionals, nutritionists, epidemiologists, economists, food technologists, and catering professionals