Food On the Go
With Americans eating more meals in their cars, food makers are obliging with an array of non-messy, finger-friendly products suitable for any meal and in between, according to Associated Press reports. So-called cupholder cuisine ranges from cereal bars with the milk congealed inside to the new "crunch wrap" -- Taco Bell's answer to the age-old leaky taco problem.
"We've been looking at our drive-through business growing steadily over the last couple of years. It's currently at 70 percent of our business," said Taco Bell spokesman Laurie Schalow.
McDonald's, meanwhile, put a salad in a cup and also developed McGriddles breakfast sandwiches with the "yummy taste of maple syrup baked right in."
On the supermarket shelves, consumers can find yogurt in squeeze tubes, Cheerios Milk 'n' Cereal Bars, miniature versions of Cheetos and Doritos, and Campbell's Soup at Hand line of drinkable soups with smaller solid bits for easier sipping. The soups and snacks even come in cylinders with hourglass curves to fit snugly into cupholders.
The market researcher NPD Group said the average person ate 32 restaurant meals -- including snacks such as cones -- in the car last year. That is up from 19 in 1984.
"We've been looking at our drive-through business growing steadily over the last couple of years. It's currently at 70 percent of our business," said Taco Bell spokesman Laurie Schalow.
McDonald's, meanwhile, put a salad in a cup and also developed McGriddles breakfast sandwiches with the "yummy taste of maple syrup baked right in."
On the supermarket shelves, consumers can find yogurt in squeeze tubes, Cheerios Milk 'n' Cereal Bars, miniature versions of Cheetos and Doritos, and Campbell's Soup at Hand line of drinkable soups with smaller solid bits for easier sipping. The soups and snacks even come in cylinders with hourglass curves to fit snugly into cupholders.
The market researcher NPD Group said the average person ate 32 restaurant meals -- including snacks such as cones -- in the car last year. That is up from 19 in 1984.