Brits eat 15 of their 21 meals a week alone due to work or social media distractions – both at home and in the workplace.
A poll of 2,000 adults found screen time in the form of social media and work emails (16% respectively) ranked as the top two factors stopping people enjoying a meal with others.
And other top devices getting in the way of mealtimes include games consoles and phone calls (both 15%).
Among the main reasons why people don’t get to sit down with friends and family is because schedules don’t match up (28%), and friends and family are too busy (27%).
But a third (33%) don’t enjoy eating by themselves, and almost half (47%) wish they could dine and share food with loved ones more often than they currently do.
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Rachel Cranston, spokeswoman for Pukka, which has launched its “Just for Two” pie range, said: “We know dinner time can often be full of distractions.
“It’s no surprise that making the time to share meals with friends, family, or workmates can be tricky – particularly as nearly half of the nation doesn’t consider sitting down to a meal with someone as part of their daily routine, despite wanting to.
“We wanted to take action and help people to make everyday mealtimes more special – by encouraging the nation to spend time together, just because.”
The aspect that people most enjoy when it comes to sharing a meal is not the food itself, but the human interactions which come with it, the study found.
The research found the most enjoyable parts of sharing food include conversation (37%), good company (34%), and having a chance to catch-up with family (31%) – all described as having the ability to bring people closer (30%).
Dinner was the most common meal to enjoy with others – with the most popular foods to share including a Sunday roast (22%), pizza (15%), a Chinese takeaway (15%), and almost one in ten enjoying sharing pies.
As the cost-of-living crisis continues, 35% will have more meals with friends and family in the coming months.
This is because it can save money, and they value the thought of having a nice conversation over the food.
But currently only half of adults eat together with their partner, and a mere one in five (21%) eat with their colleagues – making for a lonely lunch break.
But a third (33%) of those polled, via OnePoll, don’t enjoy eating by themselves – and more than half (52%) think they prepare better meals when they are cooking for someone else.
Rachel Cranston, for Pukka, added: “It’s now more important than ever to bring people together, and it’s clear that sharing food does just that.
“Let’s claim back those everyday sharing experiences and make mid-week meals come alive again, without letting the little things in life distract us.
“So, set time aside, lock your phones and games consoles away, and make mealtimes more special.”