A study conducted by OnePoll on behalf of HelloFresh shows that parents are feeling anxious about their children going back to school. The 2000 American parents of school-going children survey found that 54% felt stressed out about grocery shopping.

Parents give the challenge they face when grocery shopping

When asked what concerned them most about grocery shopping, 49% of the parents said it was hard to find items that matched everyone’s preferences, while 50% struggled to stay on budget.

About 59% of the parents said they felt nervous about packing lunch for their children. They cited challenges they faced as having inefficient time to make lunch (40%) and buying expensive groceries (56%). Another 3 in 5 tried to save up on buying groceries by packing the previous day’s dinner.

About 58% of the respondents tried to save up for back-to-school shopping during the summer. However, the average parents still went over their budget by $390 for each family member during the year.

How parents decide what to make for dinner

Parents admitted that dinner was the most straightforward meal to make for their children during the school year (41%). Despite this, 51% thought it was stressful to plan and make dinner. To make decisions on what to have for dinner, about 47% made a schedule. Another 50% discussed it with the rest of the family.

With the children going back to in-person learning, a portion of the parents (44%) think making meals will be more challenging. According to Dana Mirell, the head of culinary at HelloFresh, shopping for groceries during the school year is usually stressful for families. Parents are even more anxious to change their schedules and make meal plans for the kids with the return to in-person learning.

About 50% of the parents said their children asked for the usual options. However, 36% said their children often asked them to replicate a classmate’s food.

Parents packed lunches for their children nearly three times a week. During this time, 57% tried to make healthy meals, with 83% adding vegetables and fruits. However, these mainly went untouched by the children.