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SURVEY GAUGES IMPACT OF PARENTING ON PREPARED FOODS, TAKEOUT

GREENWICH, Conn. -- An overwhelming majority of parents with small children are replacing home-cooked meals with takeout and prepared foods from supermarkets and specialty food stores, according to the results of a new survey conducted by Madison Direct Marketing.mes per week.The study also found 75% of the parents with children under age 5 serve prepared meals from supermarkets and specialty food

GREENWICH, Conn. -- An overwhelming majority of parents with small children are replacing home-cooked meals with takeout and prepared foods from supermarkets and specialty food stores, according to the results of a new survey conducted by Madison Direct Marketing.

mes per week.

The study also found 75% of the parents with children under age 5 serve prepared meals from supermarkets and specialty food stores at least a few times per month, and about half of those respondents, or 37%, said they do so at least a few times per week. Madison based the findings on responses from 285 households with children -- 90% included children younger than 5 years.

"In an age of shuttling kids to day care and play groups, increased pressures at work, and increasing complexity in other household management areas, we've seen parents are actively looking for ways to simplify and save time when they can," said Bruce Gold, executive vice president at Madison. "It seems the vast array of ready-to-go meal options out there is hard to resist."

Among the top reasons for the category growth among this segment of the population is the lack of free time parents say they have, compared to the period prior to having children, those polled said.