Eating out overtakes home dining

Changing tastes have had an impact on the economy

UK households are spending more money on eating out than buying food to eat at home, official figures show.

Spending on food and drink consumed outside the home surged 102% between 1992 and 2004 to hit £87.5bn in 2004.

Bills for home-cooked fare rose 53.4% to £85.5bn during the same period, the Office for National Statistics said.

A cultural shift which has led to people eating out more regularly and enjoying a wider range of cuisine sparked the change, the ONS added.

Recent surveys have suggested consumers are now eating more food on the go, including junk food - widely blamed by nutritionists for increasing obesity levels.

Changing economy

The ONS report, which examines changing trends in the UK economy, also found that computer and related services were the fastest growing industry group in monetary terms between 1992 and 2004.

But finance and business services remain the biggest single sector in the UK - making up a third of the economy in 2004.

Manufacturing remained in long-term decline, but witnessed a surprise spurt of growth in 2004, for the first time since 1998.

Nevertheless, manufacturing's overall share of the economy was just 14.1% in 2004, as opposed to 21.7% in 1995 - led by a decline in textile industries and heavy manufacturing.