The majority of consumers (78%) claim to eat a healthy, balanced diet, while 46% dined out with friends and family once a week, according to a new survey commissioned by restaurant chain Strada as part of its campaign to champion the Mediterranean diet.
Despite the perception that Britons favour grab-and-go, on-the-hoof grazing, the survey found that 79% insisted they always took the time to sit down to eat their meals.
More than 60% of consumers surveyed ate three meals a day, while 72% answered a resounding ‘no’ to ever being ‘constantly on a diet’, a ‘yo-yo dieter’ or ‘into fad diets’.
Dining out with friends or family tended to occur once a week (46%) or once a month (34%).
Dogs - a common sight in Italian restaurants - are also making an appearance on the British dining-out scene, with 50% of consumers saying they occasionally take their four-legged friends out to eat with them.
Strada’s survey also showed that Britons resonated strongly with bright colours -73% opted for colourful food both in and out of the home, while 61% favoured colourful clothing and 56% described their personality as ‘colourful’.
It also revealed a strong affinity with traditional Italian ingredients. Pasta was consumed by 73% of respondents one or more times a week, 51% used olive oil a few times each week, with 27% using it daily, while fruit and vegetables were a daily fixture for 79% of consumers.
