Time to eat

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Release date: March 23, 2018
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Infographic: Time to eat
Description: Time to eat

In 2015, Canadians spent an average of 91 minutes a day eating.

Average of minutes/day
Region Minutes per day
Atlantic provinces 91
British Columbia 91
Ontario 84
Prairies 84
Quebec 105

On average, Canadians ate twice a day. Each meal took 44 min.

Who do Canadians eat with?

  • 30% of Canadians ate all of their daily meals alone
  • Among people who had a partner, 30% hadn't eaten any meals with their partner
  • Distribution of respondents who ate with their children under 15 years of age
    • 34% — 0 meals
    • 39% — 1 meal
    • 19% — 2 meals
    • 8% — 3 meals or more

"Distracted eating" means eating while doing another activity.

Close to 6 in 10 Canadians sometimes ate while doing another activity.

The 5 most mentioned activities:

  • 53% — using technology
  • 33% — watching TV
  • 19% — preparing meals
  • 15% — listening to the radio or reading
  • 14% — working or studying

10% of Canadians reported eating only while doing something else.

Source: General Social Survey — Time Use, 2015.

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Copyright

Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada as represented by the Minister of Industry, 2018

All rights reserved. Use of this publication is governed by the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement.

Catalogue no. 11-627-M

Frequency: Occasional

Ottawa

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