PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. -- The number of meals prepared at home has inched up for the first time since 1991-1992, the last U.S. recession, according to the 16th annual Report on Eating Patterns in America, compiled by The NPD Group. During the 1999-2000 period in question, at-home meal consumption increased 0.1%. The survey reflects other changes in spending, most notably in regards to restaurants and take-out food items. The number of annual meals eaten in a restaurant per person dropped from 66 in 1999 to 64 in 2000. Americans also ordered fewer take-out meals, down from 73 meals per person annually in 1999 to 70 in 2000, NPD researchers found. "Contributing to the decrease in restaurant take-out meals is the fact that nearly every food manufacturer now offers an easy meal product that is generally less costly than a restaurant meal," the report states. "In 2000, Americans continued the trend of serving a frozen meal dish at home with 11.5% of suppers prepared at home featuring a frozen meal dish, up from 9.4% just four years ago."
