The foodservice industry: Eating out is more than just a meal

The prevalence of eating out of the home is increasing, as is the range of eating outlets and types of food. The foodservice industry is commonly classified into two sectors: firstly, the profit, private or commercial sector and secondly, the cost, public or welfare/institutional sector, both of which are integral and growing components of most economies.Eating and eating out involve more than simply matching meals with consumers and the ingestion of food, and includes a myriad of other factors, all of which can affect the eating out experience. When evaluating this, it is important that all factors are taken into account and not simply the food or meal. Together they have important implications, for example, in product development where, in addition to basic lab and sensory work, testing needs to be moved into a ‘realistic’ setting where consumption is to take place. Only then can a true understanding be gained, and the product properly evaluated.