Is family meal planning too much of a mental load?

(Photo by Katya Wolf via Pexels)

Eight in ten American households have one parent who runs the household’s meal-planning operations.

A new survey of 2,000 parents of school-aged children found that 82% of families have a default dining manager who handles meal planning, shopping and cooking.

Commissioned by EveryPlate and conducted by Talker Research, the survey found that moms are most likely to hold the title — 71% of moms polled say they handle the decision of what meals to make each week, compared to just 58% of dads.

The mental load can be difficult to share — 69% said it’s often easier to handle meal planning and preparation themselves than to delegate it to someone else.

For many parents, the start of the school year only adds to the pressure. Fifty-six percent said the mental load of managing meals feels somewhat or significantly greater during the back-to-school season.

Parents reported spending an average of 37 minutes per day on deciding what to make (18.4) and creating the grocery list (18.5) before they’ve touched a single ingredient. When factoring in cooking and cleanup, the full dinner operation consumes nearly two hours (115 minutes) of a parent’s day.

Meals are always top of mind, as 85% of respondents said they think about what to make for dinner even when they are not actively cooking or planning.

The mental load also comes with an emotional toll: respondents associate meal management with stress (30%), overwhelm (25%) or burnout (21%). Moms carry a heavier load — 23% reported experiencing burnout compared to 14% of dads.

“The primary meal manager in most households is running a full restaurant operation every night. It’s not just the cooking that wears parents down, it’s the constant stream of decisions, planning, and coordination that begins long before dinner even reaches the table. When the planning, shopping, cooking, and cleanup all fall to one person, even the most dedicated household chef eventually hits a wall,” said Benjamin Grebel, senior culinary development manager at EveryPlate.

(Talker Research)

Guilt can be part of the job description, too. More than half of respondents said they feel some level of guilt when they don’t provide what they consider a proper home-cooked meal for their family.

These feelings of overwhelm often lead to tension. Thirty percent of respondents said tension arises daily over what to eat or who is responsible for making it.

Default dining managers are spread thin and the cost is real. Thirty percent said they spend 30 minutes or less of quality time with their children after preparing dinner, compared to just 17% who spend more than an hour with their children after the meal.

When asked what they’d do if they could get the time spent on meal management back, 31% said they’d spend it with their kids above resting (16%) or time with a partner (15%).

Despite the demands, many parents also find fulfillment in the role. Thirty-eight percent of respondents associate it with pride and 52% feel a sense of satisfaction.

"When so much of the burden comes from everything that happens before dinner even reaches the table, simplifying those early steps can have an immense impact. EveryPlate knows how important quality time with the family is, and taking meal planning and grocery shopping off parents' plates helps reduce the mental load allowing families to spend more time enjoying dinner and each other," said Grebel.

AVERAGE TIME SPENT DAILY ON MEAL-RELATED TASKS:

• Preparing and cooking the meal — 29 minutes
• Shopping for ingredients —- 27 minutes
• Preparing and cooking the meal — 29 minutes
• Cleaning up — 22 minutes
• Deciding what to make — 18 minutes
• Creating the grocery list — 19 minutes

Research methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 parents of school aged children who have access to the internet; the survey was commissioned by EveryPlate and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between July 9 - July 16, 2026. A link to the questionnaire can be found here.

To view the complete methodology as part of AAPOR’s Transparency Initiative, please visit the Talker Research Process and Methodology page.