Meal Impact Report 2026
Benchmark your company's meal program against more than 1,000 U.S. decision-makers, from spend and structure to employee satisfaction, benefits strategy, and office attendance.
We surveyed 1,000+ U.S. decision-makers across five industries
We asked about how they build, budget, and evaluate workplace meal programs. Download the report to compare your program with peers and identify where to invest next.
Inside the report
The 2026 spend benchmark: per employee, per month, and by industry
What highly rated meal programs have in common (hint: it isn't budget size)
How companies are using meals to support office attendance
Why companies are evaluating meals alongside other employee benefits
The policies, controls, and compliance considerations shaping program design
A first look at the 2026 benchmark
93%
say meal benefits help drive employees back to the office. Meals are becoming part of the return-to-office playbook.
46%
compare meal benefits with offerings like commuter benefits and wellness perks. Meal benefits are being weighed against the broader benefits mix.
66%
of companies providing meals cover group occasions, while just 35% cover dinner. Lunch is no longer the whole story.
Benchmark every part of your meal program
01
What companies
are spending
Compare monthly spend per eligible employee across industries.
02
How programs
are structured
See which meal benefits companies offer and how organizations combine them.
03
What highly rated programs do differently
Explore the patterns shared by programs receiving the strongest ratings.
04
How companies measure impact
Learn how decision-makers evaluate satisfaction, attendance, talent outcomes, and cost.
05
How programs balance flexibility and control
Understand the policies, tax considerations, and guardrails shaping program design.
06
Where workplace meals are headed next
Explore how travel meals and T&E could become the next opportunity for optimization.
Research you can benchmark against
The 2026 Meal Impact Report is based on a survey of 1,019 U.S. workplace meal program decision-makers across five industries.
The findings examine spending, program structure, performance, employee expectations, office attendance, compliance, and travel meals—giving workplace, HR, finance, and operations teams a clearer view of where their programs stand.
Get the report
Turn your meal program data into a smarter strategy
See how your spending, program design, and priorities compare with more than 1,000 U.S. companies—and uncover where your program has room to improve.
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