Hands up who’s tired of TV cooking shows and celebrity chefs being treated like rock stars? There’s a strong possibility you belong to the ‘Just Feed Me’ segment of Roy Morgan Research’s culinary-focused consumer profiling tool, Food Segments. Think cooking is an unnecessary waste of time? You could be a ‘Zappit’. While the media’s obsession with all things edible may give the impression we’re a nation of foodies, the Food Segments reveal that this is not entirely true…

Dividing the population into seven distinct sections based on attitudes to food, cooking, health, eating out, and entertaining at home, the Food Segments show that the aforementioned ‘Just Feed Me’ group accounts for the highest proportion of Australians (23%). Just Feed Me people are not interested in cooking, eating out, or grocery-shopping and will simply eat what they’re given. Nearly 60% of them are men.

Meanwhile, 17% of the population fall into the ‘Zappit’ category. Like Just Feed Me, they have no desire to slave over a hot stove, believing their time is better spent doing other things. Consequently, they opt for easy-to-prepare food or even takeaway. Men and women are quite evenly represented in the Zappit community.

Roy Morgan Research’s Food Segments

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), July 2014 – June 2015 (n=15,867).

Completing the ‘non-foodie’ sector of the population are the folks known as ‘Take-it-Aways’ (9%). As the name suggests, this segment (heavily skewed towards men) doesn’t understand why anyone would cook when they can place an order. As long as the takeaway’s tasty, they’re happy.

And the remaining 51% of the population?

Admittedly, food is high on the agenda for the remaining 51% of the population.

Characterised by their love of cooking and enjoyment of grocery-shopping, people in the family-oriented ‘House Proud’ segment (22% of Aussies) are interested in food for both its taste and nutritious qualities. They’re also the segment most likely to be complimented on their cooking.

‘Trendsetters’ (9%) are all about new foods, new flavours and new culinary experiences, while ‘Entertainers’ (8%) are especially fond of food’s social aspects, whether they’re throwing a fabulous dinner party or eating out at a fine restaurant (they can afford it). ‘Old-fashioned Cooks’ (12%) love a traditional home-cooked meal but are not big on variety, tending to buy the same foods and brands week-in, week-out.