Consumers’ food spending habits are changing, and recent data indicates a growing preference for time- and money-saving options.

While COVID-19 lockdowns brought a slight resurgence in at-home food purchases, U.S. Department of Agriculture data revealed that away-from-home food spending in 2022 surpassed home spending by nearly $300 billion—the highest recorded margin, according to American Farm Bureau Federation economists.

The USDA Food Expenditure Series tracks the U.S. food system by reporting on total food and beverage spending at home, on grocery store purchases and away from home.

Away-from-home food spending has exceeded home spending by over $100 billion since 2015, except during 2020, when COVID-19 lockdowns barred many consumers from public settings. After 2010, away-from-home food spending increased 7 percent annually—9 percent when excluding 2020 pandemic-related anomalies—compared to 4 percent for food at home.

These trends are not surprising to AFBF economis...