Ever eaten food off the floor? You’re not alone, according to new research commissioned by Uber Eats.

The study, conducted by Empirica Research, looks into how the everyday Australian eats, their behaviours and attitudes towards food, cooking and (you guessed it) ordering via food delivery apps.  So how are Aussies eating in 2019?

Food delivery apps reigns supreme, and it’s not all pizza

It should come as no surprise that food delivery apps have become more mainstream, with six out of 10 Australians considering it a “normal thing to do these days” and more than half of respondents using food delivery apps more than they were five years ago.

And it’s not all pizza and Chinese — more than half of (58%) Australians agree that there are more healthy options available via food delivery apps, and among those who ever get food delivered, almost 1 in 5 (19%) say they tend to eat healthier when they order via food delivery apps compared to when they cook. Health credentials was also cited as an important factor for Australians when it comes to choosing what food they were going to eat.  

Cooking at home is on the decline

The report revealed that 43 per cent of Aussies don’t enjoy cooking at home. In addition to this, only half of those surveyed said they cook at home on a daily basis.

When it comes to food and cooking, convenience is king, with two-thirds of Aussies opting for food that is quick and easy to get their hands on (this number is even higher among young Australians). Cost is also a huge factor, with more than half of those surveyed admitting to opting for a cheaper alternative when possible.

We’re eating breakfast less, snacking more, and eating dinner in front of the telly

Sorry mum, it looks like breakfast might not be the most important meal of the day anymore, with almost a quarter of Australians choosing to skip it on a typical weekday. Working Aussies also seem to be chained to their desks, with one in four saying that they never take a lunch break away from their desk during the week. Skip forward to later in the day and more than three-quarters of Aussies have an afternoon snack at least once a week.  

With breakfast taking a back seat, dinner has become the biggest (and most looked forward to) meal of the day for a majority of Australians. That said, one third of respondents admitted that dinner is their most dreaded meal to cook.

We also may be at risk of becoming a nation of TV diners, with one in four Aussies eating dinner in front of the TV everyday.

“Since Uber Eats arrived in Australia three years ago, attitudes towards food, cooking and food delivery apps have evolved significantly. A growing number of Aussies are looking to food delivery apps for a variety of food choices that fits in with their lifestyle” said Jodie Auster, Uber Eats Regional General Manager for Australia and New Zealand.

“The idea of online food delivery has become more mainstream with more than half of those surveyed noting that they are ordering via food delivery apps more than they were five years ago, offering customers a more easy and convenient way to access the food that they want on-the-go.”

“We are also moving away from the stigma that food delivery is ‘unhealthy’, and with more than 20,000 restaurant partners on Uber Eats, there are more healthy food options available than ever before. This is supported by the fact that almost one in five Australians said that they tend to eat healthier when they order in compared to when they cook. We want to continue to encourage those wanting to make healthy decisions when ordering food through the app.”

“As we become increasingly time poor, convenience is shaping up to be a big deciding factor when it comes to meal time in Australian homes. An increasing number of us are opting for healthy food alternatives that are affordable and easy to get our hands on.”

Uber Eats is available in 18 cities across Australia. There are now more than 20,000 restaurant partners on the Uber Eats app across the country, offering a wide range of different foods for Aussie consumers to try.