Youngsters gorging on junk food twice a day
ONE in seven 16 to 34-yearolds in Scotland eats fast food at least twice a day, according to a new study.
Startling figures reveal the country’s addiction to processed, fatty foods served in snack bars and takeaway restaurants.
The data, compiled by the BBC Good Food Nation Survey 2016, also shows that pizza, chips and curry are among the nation’s best-loved dishes.
Industry experts say the unhealthy lifestyle is fuelling Scotland’s obesity crisis, as humans were ‘never designed’ to ingest such high amounts of processed food.
A typical Scottish adult eats fast food twice a week, with the number rising sharply for younger generations, the study reveals.
It reports that 16 to 34-year-olds – dubbed Generation Fast Food – have differing tastes to the rest of the nation.
Overall, Scotland’s favourite meal is the Sunday roast, but pizza comes
‘Not designed to stomach 14 pizzas’
top of the list for the fast-food lovers.
The Sunday favourite is followed by curry, pizza, pasta and fish and chips for most of the country.
But for 16 to 34-year-olds, the rankings are slightly different.
Generation Fast Food lists the Sunday roast as its second favourite meal, followed by curry, pasta and shepherd’s pie.
Classic British meals such as a full English breakfast have dropped out of the nation’s top five favourite dishes, with bangers and mash not even featuring in the top ten.
According to the survey, 46 per cent of Scottish adults say ‘a meal isn’t a meal without meat’ – with the average person now eating meat twice a day.
But 51 per cent of those questioned admitted they had no idea how much meat is good for them. The report also highlighted other key diet and lifestyle findings for Scotland.
Scots typically spend the least time preparing weekday meals, at an average of 29 minutes and 24 seconds compared to 31 minutes and 36 seconds for other Britons.
Their weekly food bill is the lowest throughout the UK, spending an average of £52.40 on stocking up the fridge.
Households in Northern Ireland spend the most, with their weekly bill costing £6 more at £58.80.
Evening meal times differ by as much as 38 minutes across the UK, with Scots sitting down to eat at 6:30pm compared to Londoners who typically eat at 7:08pm.
Londoners also spend a lot more on lunch than the rest of the country – forking out approximately £8.70 per week compared to Scots, who spend roughly £5.
Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, spoke of his shock at the statistics. He said: ‘Humans were never designed to stomach 14 pizzas in seven days.
‘Even when some choose to eat only two fast food meals a week it’s still far from being praiseworthy.
‘We cannot be surprised that Scotland has the obesity problem it has.
‘And when millions won’t spend time on cooking, and the least on groceries, an unhealthy diet is inevitable.’