Lunch breaks now just 22 minutes
The average lunch break in France is less than a quarter of what it was 20 years ago, a study shows
EMPLOYEES in France now spend an average 22 minutes on their lunch break as opposed to 1hr 38mins 20 years ago.
The change in habits was revealed in a study by insurers Malakoff Médéric, which also showed that fewer people are going home for lunch – though it is still the most popular option. A total of 29% do this, as opposed to 34% in 2009.
Almost as many now bring in a meal they have prepared at home (28%) and eat it at work, compared to 22% in 2009, while eating in a work canteen has dropped from 22% to 19%. Eating a sandwich (as opposed to a “proper” home-made meal) has gone up to 14% from 12%.
A meal outside the office in a restaurant or café is now the exception – just 10%.
Director preventative healthcare at Malakoff Médéric Anne-Sophie Godon said in Le Figaro the results were due to more intensive working days and a tendency for people to work further from home.
The survey also indicated a rise in snacking between meals.
However the findings did not necessarily mean people were eating less healthily, Ms Godon said. For example, the trend of people bringing in their own meals – opted for by 35% of women and 22% of men – may indicate, on the contrary that people are trying to eat more balanced meals. “Bringing in your meal is a way of taking control over what you eat,” she said.
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