Objective This study investigated the menu and nutritional contents of convenience store lunchboxes, and evaluated the nutritional content by meal type, price, and store brand. Methods In September 2019, 93 convenience store lunchboxes from the top five franchise stores were purchased. Relevant information on price, food weight, food ingredients, cooking methods, and nutrition labeling were subsequently collected.
Nutritional content was evaluated based on the daily value (DV) and Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ), and energy contribution of carbohydrate, protein, fat, saturated fat and sugar was compared with the recommended range. Results Most lunchboxes included the food groups; grains/starches, meats/fish/eggs/ legumes, and vegetables. However, none provided fruits, and only a few lunchboxes provided milk/milk products. Stir-frying, deep-frying, and pan-frying were the most frequent methods of cooking. The average energy content of the lunchboxes was 736.6 kcal, whereas the average contents of protein, fat and saturated fat were higher than 40% of the DV, and sodium content was 66.8% of the DV. The contents of most nutrients in traditional type lunchboxes were higher, as compared to nutrients in onedish type lunchboxes. Considering pricing of lunchboxes, protein and sodium contents were higher in the higher-priced lunchboxes as compared to lower-priced lunchboxes, but there were no differences in the INQs. The contents of energy, protein, fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol significantly differed by brand. Conclusions Our results indicate that convenience store lunchboxes contain high levels of protein, fat, saturated fat, and sodium. The nutritional contents differed by meal type, price, and store brand, and higher price did not imply higher nutritional quality. We propose the need to educate consumers to check nutrition labels and purchase appropriate lunchboxes. Manufacturers also need to make efforts to reduce the amounts of fat, saturated fat, and sodium, and not provide protein in excess.
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Objective This study investigated the utilization and satisfaction of lunchbox by considering the dietary lifestyle of the consumer, in order to refine the purchasing behavior of adults with experience in using lunchboxes, and to provide basic data for efficient menu configuration and direction towards improvement. Methods A total of 600 adults in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do answered a self-administered questionnaire designed to investigate general characteristics, utilization, menu preference, satisfaction, prospection, and improvement of lunchbox, according to the dietary lifestyle. Results The study subjects were classified into 5 groups: ‘taste seeking group’, ‘safety seeking group’, ‘health seeking group’, ‘economic seeking group’ and ‘convenience seeking group. Considering purchase value of the lunchbox, the ‘taste seeking group’ had a high utilization rate (35.1%) for prices less than 4,000 won (p < 0.05). Lunchboxes were mainly purchased at the lunchbox store (43.3%) and convenience store (37.7%). The important factor that contributed to purchasing a lunchbox was taste (61.3%), which was highest in the ‘taste seeking group’ (p < 0.01). The ‘health seeking group’ showed the highest preference for the low-salt diet lunchbox menu (26.0%) (p < 0.05). The satisfaction of ‘health seeking groups’ was lowest when considering addition of condiments (2.34%), origin of ingredient (2.59%), and provided calorie (2.81%) (p < 0.05). The overall response indicated future use of the lunchbox (69.6%) (p < 0.01); 35.8% respondents recommended the purchase of lunchbox, where convenience of purchase was the highest factor contributing to recommendation (50.2%) (p < 0.05). Conclusions Taken together, our results indicate that taste was emphasized in every group purchasing the lunch box. Convenience of purchase was the highest factor contributing to satisfaction, which was relatively low when considering addition of condiments, nutrition and origin of ingredients. We propose that it is necessary to improve the development of various menus for increasing satisfaction by selecting the right ingredients contributing to good health of the consumer.
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