Healthy Brits killing the lunchtime sandwich

Despite sandwiches being a regular option on pub menus, the study of 1,133 British adults carried out by Spitalfields Market found how growing demand for artisanal lunches is causing the sandwich market to fizzle out.

While bread-based options did feature in the top five lunch options, the sandwich was in 9th place, with less than one fifth (15%) of respondents saying they regularly eat them for lunch.

Staple food

The most popular lunch item was salad with almost half (42%) choosing it, and in second place was wraps, grabbing 37% of the vote.

Matt O’Halloran from Spitalfields Market said: “Sandwiches have been a staple in British diets for centuries but the 21st century has seen people opting for arguably healthier options and wider varieties of lunchtime meals.

“In today’s overtly health and body-conscious society, adults are becoming stricter with their eating habits.

“They want choices that will shake up their daily routine, give them diet-friendly choices and importantly, something to look forward to come lunchtime.”

Shift in habits

He added: “Street food is another trend we feel is contributing to this shift in eating habits. Spitalfields Market has been tracking increased footfall to its food stalls between 12noon and 3pm during the past year, as local residents and professionals are becoming more adventurous in their food choices.

“We have also noticed a significant increase in ‘clean eating’ with much higher demand for options including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free.

“Lollipop at Spitalfields is London’s first fruit-based café, meeting the clean-eating demand across all three of these dietary requirements.”