Statistics Canada is confirming what many busy Canadians already know: our hectic lives mean we are spending more of our food money eating out at restaurants than ever before.

A Statistics Canada survey shows $34.60 out of every $100 spent on food in 1998 went to meals outside the home, mostly in restaurants. That's up from $32.70 in 1989.

StatsCan says the shift in consumer preferences has been under way since the '60s. While consumer spending at food stores increased eight-fold from 1961 to 1989, spending on meals outside the home rose almost 19-fold.

The agency says the trend toward eating out is due to a number of reasons:

• a better economy,
• bigger demands on personal time
• greater availability of food service outlets
• and more single-person households.

During 1998, Canadians spent a total of $77.6 billion on food. $50.7 billion of that amount went to food bought at grocery stores, while $26.9 billion was spent on meals outside the home.