Have We Forgotten How to Eat Together?

provided by Presidents’ Choice® 

Eating together – we’ve done it since the beginning of time, when hunters and gatherers shared their spoils. Kids eat together on the playground, and college students dine in shared dorm rooms, but as we get older and take on day jobs, are we still eating together?

Apparently, not so much. A recent national survey commissioned by President’s Choice® found that although Canadians spend significantly less time eating meals with friends and family compared to screen time, there is still a desire to spend more time at the table.

With technology becoming more accessible than ever and permeating our everyday lives, it’s important to take the time to put that mobile phone or tablet down, to enjoy the company around you. Research has shown on average, almost 1 in 3 Canadians (29%) are spending more than 4 hours of their free time engaging with screens each day! Additionally, when people eat together, they see each other as equals and connect with one another.

The simple act of regularly sharing a meal with friends and family can provide numerous benefits and contribute to a healthy lifestyle including the formation of healthy eating habits, early childhood development and building stronger interpersonal relationships.  In fact for the first time since its inception, Canada’s Food Guide, released in early 2019,  encourages Canadians to cook more often and eat meals with others in an effort to instill healthy eating habits.

Much like the recommendations in Canada’s new Food Guide, President’s Choice® has been on a mission to bring Canadians back to the table to Eat Together.  For three years, President’s Choice® has been committed to bringing Canadians back to the table to share a meal with many Canadians participating to date.

President’s Choice® is encouraging Canadians to take the pledge this year to Eat Together at pc.ca/eattogether and donate to PC® Children’s Charity™. Every pledge will also receive a  $1.00* donation to the PC® Children’s Charity™ to help children in Canada eat together with their friends and families.

About the President’s Choice® Survey:

From Wednesday, December 12, 2018 to Thursday, December 13, 2018, an online survey of 1,510 randomly selected adult Canadians who are Maru Voice Canada panelists was executed by Maru/Blue. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of +/- 2.4%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been weighted by education, age, gender and region (and in Quebec, language) to match the population, according to Census data. This is to ensure the sample is representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.