Millennials on track to be the fattest generation in history

A fifth of Generation Ys eat more takeouts than home-cooked food with 18% of millennials not knowing how to cook a healthy meal from scratch, according to retail shopping app Ubamarket. 

• Students pay 30% premium on meals that cost under £5 in a supermarket
• 7 in 10 millennials will be obese by the time they reach middle age
• Delivery apps now deliver triple stack burgers & extra-large pizzas in an average of 14 minutes 
• 27% of millennials say that they have no time to make their own food in during the week

As our lives become busy and more digitalised, many Brits turn to takeaways, junk food and microwave meals in order to eat a full meal during the week. Generation Y are happy to pay a premium on a meal despite the ingredients costing half the price if bought from a supermarket. However, over half are unaware of the ingredients in takeout food and may not be aware of the severe health implications that this may have on our bodies - frequent takeaway meal consumption and bad eating habits means that 70% of millennials will be obese by the time they reach middle age according to Cancer Research UK. As we continue to eat 22 million fast-food and takeaway meals every week in the UK, Ubamarket’s nationally representative research reveals that a fifth of millennials do not know how to cook a healthy meal from scratch.

NATIONAL STATS AS TO WHY GEN Y NO LONGER COOK FROM HOME

• 58% (3,046,000) of millennials say they are not 100% confident that they know all of the ingredients that is in the food that they order online/ in-app
• 18% (1,351,000) of millennials consider home delivery services such as Deliveroo as an integral way to eating a full meal in the week
• 18% (952,000) of millennials don't know how to cook a good/ healthy meal from scratch
• 15% (783,000) of millennials say the majority of their main meals are microwave meals
• 18% (953,000) of millennials eat more takeout food than home-cooked food
• 12% (621,000) of millennials order takeout food more than 3 times a week 

Innovative white-label shopping app, Ubamarket, has conducted a study across over 2,000 UK adults which found that a fifth of millennials consider home delivery services as an integral way to eating a full meal in the week. As the nation turns away from home-cooked food, a report by Kantar has also revealed that supermarket sales have fallen by 0.5% over the last quarter and the 'big four' have all seen a drop in sales of at least 2%. So, what food are millennials' go-to orders? Ubamarket reveals the top five most regularly consumed takeaway meals:

1. Chinese
2. Indian
3. Fish & Chips
4. Pizza
5. Burgers and chips

In an attempt to bring Gen Ys back to the grocery shop and live healthier lifestyles, Ubamarket's app strives to make the shopping experience more convenient, faster and healthier.

• 40% (3,117,000) of millennials find travelling to the supermarket to do a traditional weekly shop is an inconvenience to them
• 31% (1,634,000) of millennials consider making their own food a boring task
• 27% (1,468,000) of millennials say that they have no time for making their own food in the evening/ during the week
• 47% (2,427,000) of millennials say delivery services are too easy and quick to say no to 

The stats paint a picture, but what could be fuelling the trend in millennials? There are a few contributing factors:

• Our food supply has become processed
• Life has become more fast-paced
• Use of technology in our everyday lives has surged

Will Broome, CEO and Founder of Ubamarket, comments on how implementing retail technology into stores to make the shopping experience more streamlined, more customer-friendly and could help tackle the obesity crisis, “Our research has revealed that 27% of millennials do not have time to cook food in the evening. However, people may not be aware that home-cooking can be just as quick, save customers money and provide many health benefits. As our lives become more digitalised, technology could prove to have health benefits if used correctly - retailers should adapt their offerings to create a more efficient shopping experience. This would encourage people to shop in stores for their grocery shopping instead of ordering takeaways. If shops were to implement retail tech, such as apps that guide you around the store, allow you to write shopping lists and inform customers of the nutritional values of food, that would encourage shoppers up and down the country to make the most of the benefits that bricks and mortar stores have to offer.”

HOW TO 'SUPERMARKET-SHOP' YOURSELF AWAY FROM OBESITY

• Write a list and stick to it – That way you won’t be tempted to buy unnecessary ‘impulse buy’ items
• Organise your list by route or by food category, so you won’t have to revisit aisles and avoid the dreaded junk food aisle

• Shop alone when you can – Although it can be fun to shop with someone, there will be fewer distractions if you shop solo with a target list of products 

• Use an app to find out the nutritional value of the products you are looking to buy to avoid buying any products which could prove to be detrimental to your health 

• Use scan-and-go technology as you shop – That way you can avoid the queues
• If you are not doing a really large shop, don’t use a trolley as it will only slow you down