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An increasing number of white-collar workers buy ready-made meals in convenience stores and fewer cook at home, a recent study has revealed.

42.5 percent post-1990 interviewees cook less than four times every week and the percentage of them who cook less than three times is much higher than other age groups, according to recent research on catering consumption in China.

Fewer people cook at home or eat out at restaurants because of the fast pace of modern life and new trends in consumption. Instead, meal replacement products, take-out food and boxed meals are becoming more popular, stated Lai Yang, an expert in the China General Chamber of Commerce who also studies consumption trends.

For breakfast, white-collar employees usually buy steamed buns, sushi and soybean milk, which can all be purchased in the convenience store on the way to work. Sometimes, these workers also purchase lunch and dinner from the same store, usually spending less than 20 yuan on a whole meal.

This new consumption tendency, in turn, is reshaping the catering market. Convenience stores grew the fastest in the entire retail industry between 2016-2018, with an average growth rate of 18 percent, according to a list of the top 100 convenience stores in China released by the China Chain Store and Franchise Association.

For example, the average annual growth of convenience store brand Bianli Feng has increased tenfold. As the first store to sell hot packaged meals in several cities, it takes flavor, ingredients, and price into consideration and has also built a canteen area in each of its stores.

Every step of the production line tries to keep the food healthy and safe. The vegetables and meat in convenience store meals come from known suppliers such as China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation. Moreover, the delivery and storage are continuously monitored so that the food sold in the stores is always fresh.

Besides convenience, young consumers have a high demand for quality of food, which brings challenges to this new sector. With further improvement, convenience stores are believed to become the first choices among more young workers.