Rising Food Costs Force Families to Eat at Home Alone

PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 11, 2008 – Seventy-five percent of home cooks across the country will eat out at restaurants less than last summer due to the rising costs of food and gas prices, according to a recent survey by Recipe4Living.com.

The majority of survey respondents said they plan to eat at home with only their immediate families this summer. In fact, almost 65 percent of respondents said they will host fewer large gatherings for meals.

"The rising cost of food is affecting families across the country and we're seeing our users' online trends reflect this," Editor Maxine Glass said. "In fact, one of our most popular search terms right now is 'ground beef,' which is about as budget-conscious as you can get."

When given a list of recipes and ingredients that they plan to cook with this summer, 85 percent of Recipe4Living users said they will cook hamburgers and other similar recipes rather than pricier dishes that include fish and seafood. The majority are interested in budget-friendly meals and seasonal ingredients that are often less expensive.

This change in eating habits will likely be seen in the grocery store as well. Most of the survey respondents said that the one main way their eating habits will be influenced by rising food costs is that they will pay more attention to bargains in the grocery store. Sixty percent said they will go out less often for summery foods like ice cream.

Among Recipe4Living's most visited recipe categories are Chicken Casserole Recipes, Crockpot, Appetizers and Quick & Easy. Recipe4Living.com is the eighth largest recipe content site in the United States and boasts a Web 2.0 recipe community with more than 15,000 user-submitted recipes. Its focus on quick and easy recipes and slow cooker menus encourages home cooks to share their family recipes with the Recipe4Living community.  

For more information about Recipe4Living, please visit http://www.recipe4living.com or call (847) 205-9320.