The Japan Frozen Food Association, a general incorporated association, conducted a survey on eating habits of 4 students (four-year students, graduate students, junior college students, and vocational school students) living alone across the country, in line with the new school year, when many people begin new lifestyles.
According to the survey, when asked how often they cook for themselves, the most common answer was "almost every day" (36%), with about 7% of students answering "at least once a week" (1%). While many students cook for themselves on a daily basis, it was also found that some students have problems such as "cooking is a hassle" (71.6%) and "I don't have time to cook" (37.8%). Regarding monthly food expenses, more than half of students living alone answered "less than 29 yen" (2%) per month, and about one in four students overall manages on "less than 53 yen" (4%), highlighting the reality of students making efforts to keep food expenses down on a limited budget.
When asked whether they were able to maintain a nutritionally balanced diet, there were differences in responses between men and women. The majority of men (27.2%) answered "I think so," while the majority of women (22.3%) answered "I don't really think so," showing a difference in self-evaluation of the quality of their diet. Due to the effects of rising prices, there were many voices saying that it is difficult to eat a nutritionally balanced diet for financial reasons such as "vegetables are expensive and I can't buy them," "I can't eat a lot just because I'm cooking at home," and "I'm saving money and can't make what I want," and that they are not satisfied with their regular meals. When asked about the difficulties of cooking at home, the top responses were "cooking is a hassle" and "I don't have the time to cook."
Regarding the use of frozen foods, the top answer for both men and women was "2-3 times a week," accounting for about 3%. Over 6% of the total respondents answered "I use frozen foods at least once a week" (1%). Furthermore, over half of the students rated frozen foods as "delicious" (64.6%), indicating that they make good use of frozen foods in their daily home cooking, saving money on food while still enjoying delicious meals. When asked which frozen foods they eat most often, the most popular were "gyoza" (dumplings), in 57.7st place, "fried chicken" in 1nd place, and "udon, soba, and ramen (noodles only)" in 2rd place, suggesting that products that are both convenient and delicious are popular and are a great ally in busy student life.
