Food Industry Facts That You Need To Know For Healthy Living

Did you know that as per statistics, an average American individual eats around 46 pizza slices every year, this translates to almost one slice every week?

When it comes to restaurants in the US, San Francisco wins hands down with almost 40 restaurants per 10,000 families in the country. Fast food is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the foodservice industry of the United States.

The preference of people to eat takeout food is what keeps the food industry growing. But what does the food industry provide that makes people choose it? Are you looking for some interesting facts and statistics about the food industry in the US? Let us check out these facts and data together.

Afterward, you must also read facts about why do we need food and where does food come from that you will surely enjoy.

Types Of Food Industry

The food industry has always been a flourishing sector in the world. When it comes to a celebration or just the need to hang out with friends, the food industry is the top choice of people.

• With the novel coronavirus, the food industry suffered a major setback. Nonetheless, the industry is trying to get back on its feet.
• The most common food industry that we are familiar with is restaurants. But that is not the only type of food industry seen all around the world.
• There are many types of food industries all around us from small tea stalls to luxurious restaurants.
• The food industry is divided into commercial sectors, welfare sectors, and other industry sectors.
• When it comes to commercial sectors, there is both a general market and a restricted market. Hotels, restaurants, takeaway, fast food industry, pubs, food courts are all part of the general market.
• The main aim of all these industry types is to make a profit from the food business. Anyone can visit these food industry sectors if it's in the general market. But restricted markets, like the name suggests, are restricted to certain consumers.
• Some examples of this industry type are transport catering, clubs, industrial catering, and so on.
• The fast-food industry and restaurant industry are always flourishing. The pandemic did cause a decrease in the consumers but the food industry is not something that would just go away.
• On the other hand, the commercial sector of the food industry is the welfare sector. This type of food industry is more focused on service.
• Institutional catering, schools, colleges, hospitals, and prisons are some examples of this. In the non-captive market, the consumers can choose where to eat from. Some may choose the fast food industry while others prefer restaurants.
• The reason why customers sometimes dine in restaurants or other food industry sectors is for celebration. But with time, new trends have also emerged in the food industry. If there are any new restaurants open, the consumers are curious to be a critic of it. If people want to hang out in the evening, a café seems like the perfect choice these days.
• The trends among consumers bring more profit to the business. Based on the occasion, the preference of the consumers can change. That is, if a family is dining, they would prefer luxurious or popular restaurants in the country. But if friends are hanging out, they may prefer to go to cafes or fast-food restaurants. There are two types of classification that can be done generally for the food industry in a broader sense.
• There is the primary catering sector whose main job is to serve food for the customers. Some examples are hotels, restaurants, and the fast-food industry. But there are also secondary catering sectors where serving food is not the main aim.
• For example, in some trains and flights, there may or may not be food options available. The main aim here is to travel. The food is just an addition to the service.

Features Of Food Industry

What is the food industry? The food industry produces food products for consumers from raw materials or other ingredients. Food is prepared through labor, energy, machinery, and knowledge.

• The food industry business is the largest in the world. It also provides job opportunities to many people.
• Companies in various countries recruit people to manage food production. If you check out the food statistics, it is evident that the fast-food industry reigns the whole foodservice industry.
• With McDonald's, Starbucks, Burger King, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut, the consumption of the fast-food industry is high. But what are some features of the food industry that we should be familiar with? Why do you think the food industry is getting so much hype?
• The food in the restaurant and other food industries has a better shelf life compared to home-cooked meals. They have preservative techniques to make sure that the food doesn’t go bad within a short time. The shelf life is higher which makes it suitable for sales, distribution, and home storage. That is why bakeries are a popular choice among consumers as the food they buy can be stored for a while at home.
• Another feature of the food industry is the variety of diet options available for consumers. The menu of a restaurant is rich in various food items.
• In the menu, you find foods that are of different flavors, textures, and colors. The nutritional content of the food in restaurants is also rich with the different variety of food items. Although the fast-food industry is a bit lacking in terms of a healthy meal.
• According to fast food statistics, a fast-food meal is 37% of your daily calories. Even children seem to have a higher consumption of fast food on a daily basis. The unhealthy side of the fast-food industry is concerning, however, more and more fast-food restaurants now have healthier meal options available.
• The fast-food statistics show that 39% of the consumers are choosing these healthier meal options. The stores like Chick-fil-A, Chipotle provide organic and low trans fat food options for their consumers. Even the famous McDonald's has pledged to have healthier menus. In 2015, McDonald's made sure to stop serving chicken that is raised on human antibiotics.
• Similarly, McDonald's have also stopped their sales of buns that are made of high fructose corn syrup and also limited the use of artificial preservatives in the food.
• The change in chicken, bun, and preservatives by McDonald's is a relief since a major part of the fast-food industry is dominated by this brand.
• Another key feature of the food industry is to bring in profit for the manufacturing companies.
• The operations related to food production are costly. This money spent on making food is returned back through the sales. The restaurant's sales are high since almost 44% of the millennials spend their food budget in restaurants.
• Sometimes, the price of certain items like soda and desserts is marked up in restaurants to make more profit for the owners.

Functions Of Food Industry

Why is the restaurant industry so popular? Around 14. 7 million people work in the restaurant industry. The word restaurant comes from the French word which means ‘ food that restores’.

• According to the data collected from the Center For Disease Control, an average person in America is seen eating fast food every day.
• Fast food restaurants earned high profits even in the time of coronavirus. From small ice cream joints to high franchises like McDonald's, each of these fast-food restaurants earned well. What are some of the functions provided by the restaurants that make them so popular?
• There is a reason why food restaurants are the largest industrial sector in the world. The number one function of the restaurants is making food available for the consumers. The consumers can choose what they want to eat from the menu. Whether it is meat, fish, or vegetables, everything is available.
• For people who are working, making food is time-consuming. So, eating from a restaurant is a time-saving option for them. Also, when you have large functions like getting married or birthdays, food from restaurants is a blessing.
• The main function of restaurants in the food industry is making digestible food for restaurant guests.
• If the food is tasty, the sales will also increase through the word-of-mouth marketing done by the customers themselves. That is why customer satisfaction is an important factor for restaurants. Another function is to preserve food. Sometimes, it is hard to find food items that are seasonal.
• But in fast-food restaurants and other restaurants, you will come across these food items all the time. They use preservative techniques to make sure that the food is available for consumption all the time. Also, the food that a restaurant makes is microbiologically and chemically safe. It is the job of fast-food restaurants to provide food that is safe for the consumers.
• The restaurant will provide food that is safe and of the highest quality in forms that are easy to consume. After making food, the next step is availability. To make food available, there are many methods available today.
• Traditionally, you had to physically go to a restaurant to have food but today, the modern world has modern methods.
• Digital ordering is the norm nowadays. You can order from the restaurant online and the food will be delivered to your doorstep. The sales of fast food have increased with digital ordering. People can just sit at home and order without any hassle at all.
• The fast-food industry has changed so much with time.
• Digital ordering, fast pickup, and the updated menu have made a profit for the restaurants even in the time of the pandemic.
• Brand value also plays a key role in the success of restaurants. Brand names like Burger King, McDonald's, Starbucks, Pizza Hut have generated higher sales due to the history they have built in the fast-food industry. A restaurant makes eating food a happy and tasty experience for people.

Amazing Food Industry Facts

The increase in restaurants also means the increase of something else too. Food waste is a big concern in a restaurant. Almost half of the food made is wasted.

• Food production and transportation themselves cause a huge amount of energy and money. But that doesn’t stop the food from being wasted. The food industry along with concerning facts like this also has amazing facts that you need to be aware of. Not all is bad in the restaurant land.
• The organic food industry is growing very well and 9.5% of growth was seen in the organic food industry in the US according to statistics.
• Did you know that the busiest day in a restaurant is Mothers Day?
• The first dining restaurant was established in America in 1837.
• The restaurant named Delmonico's started in New York City to be the first dining restaurant in America.
• It is said that at least half of the adults at some point in their life might have worked in a restaurant.
• The famous pizza restaurant came up with the ‘30 minutes or less’ campaign in 1984. Unfortunately, they had to stop this because of the injuries that happened to the drivers while trying to serve the food within this time.
• Burger king was actually called ‘Insta-burger King’. They changed the name later.
• The famous fast-food restaurant owner of  KFC is known as Colonel Sanders, but he isn’t actually a colonel.
• Starbucks, another famous restaurant, sell around four million beverages each and every day.
• Similarly, McDonald's sells 75 hamburgers in a second! How amazing is that?
• The famous Subway restaurant was actually founded by a 17-year-old youngster named Fred Deluca. There are plenty of food facts related to the food industry.
• The fast-food industry is what seems to be booming these days. Whether it's just for fun or for food, youngsters these days prefer fast food restaurants for their meetup.
• The variety of food provided within a short period of time is what makes them so popular. Although the nutrition gained by fast food is not much, the fast-food industry is moving along with time. They have already realized that in the future, people will be more biased towards organic and healthy food. This is why fast-food restaurants are starting to produce healthier meals.
• The aim is to attract customers who are concerned with the nutritional benefits of fast food. The fast-food industry is getting ahead in the healthy fast food market. Only time will tell if the change is successful or not.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for food industry facts then why not take a look at facts about food banks in America, or American food waste facts that you will love to read.