Recent studies revealed that individuals ranging from 16 to 24 years old spend more money on food than other age groups simply because they don't know how to cook. New York Times then pointed out that the millennial generation is living in a fast food nation. One of the factors that should be considered is that millennials often lack time to prepare their own food thus they would rather eat out.
As per the Independent UK, the problem seems to emerge from the lack of cooking knowledge thus individuals falling on these age brackets would rather "eat out" or spend money on junk food. Not only are they spending more, but the food they're spending their money on mostly lack nutritional values.
Henry Dimbleby, who co-founded the natural fast-food chain Leon, and a Children's food campaigner said the results were "depressing".
"We've got two generations now where primary cooking skills have been lost, learning to cook is so important. It's very expensive if you don't learn to feed yourself but it can also be a one-way ticket to a life plagued by diabetes and obesity."
Jane Sixsmith, director of the food education charity Focus on Food also added her insights in regards to the issue stating:
"There's something about this generation which makes them know less about cooking. That might be just because it's easier because of time, but also the availability and cheapness of ready meals. Sometimes we see an absolutely terrible low level of understanding about food and nutrition. You come across children who have never tasted broccoli before, or fresh sweetcorn."
The editorial director of Good Food, Christine Hayes however is a bit optimistic in regards to the issue, with the hopes of encouraging the youth to prepare their own home cooked meals.
"To be able to cook four recipes from scratch isn't too bad if you're 16 to 24, because some may not have left home, I'm actually quite impressed. There are so many other things vying for our time, especially at that age, that being able to cook that much isn't that bad. The fact that they're spending more when they go out is interesting. While cooking can be quite a sociable thing, going out and eating with friends is what young people like to do.
