Special diets mean 1 in 5 dining alone

FUSSY eating and demanding diets mean millions of families have different meals at dinner time, research has found.

Three quarters of Britons serve at least two dishes and almost a third of us have an intolerance or a special dietary need.

This has led to one in five people dining alone, the Co-op study found.

One in 10 followed a vegan diet, the same number that needed a gluten, lactose or dairy free meal and to avoid nuts.

While one in 20 ate fish but no meat.

The Co-op’s Victoria Attwood said more awareness about food is “shifting the way we eat together.”