Editor's note: This article appeared in the August 27, 2008, edition of Quirk's e-newsletter.

The brown-bagged lunch is becoming an increasingly popular workplace accessory these days. Weekday lunches carried from home reached a new high point in 2007, with adults (18+) carrying some 8.5 billion brown-bag lunches last year, according to a study from Port Washington, N.Y., research company The NPD Group. More than half of these lunches are consumed at the workplace, and most often at the eater's desk or workstation. 

The majority of consumers say they carry their lunch from home more often because it's cheaper than other options. Health and nutrition concerns ranked second as a reason to brown-bag, followed by convenience, taste, diet, quality and environmental concerns. Among consumers who typically brown-bag, nearly half said they are doing so more often.

Adult males carry more brown-bagged lunches than others, yet quite often, females are the preparers. Brown-bagging is more common among 35-to-54-year-olds, white-collar consumers and professionals and more affluent consumers. What goes in the brown bags varies, but typically it's fruit, chips and some type of sandwich. These items, however, differ by gender and age. Cookies replace the chips in kids' lunches; a poultry sandwich replaces chips for men; and women are more inclined to opt for healthier choices like yogurt and veggies. Among the total population, peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches are the most popular sandwich type, and carbonated soft drinks are the dominant beverage choice.