Time budget data describe how much time people invest in different activities of a daily routine. The study presents contributions of time budget data to the nutrition research on the example of German Time Budget Surveys 1991/92 and 2001/02 of the German Statistical Office. Over time, mothers reduced the amount of time spent on food preparation. Tobit analysis reveals that time inputs in cooking, baking and laying the table are influenced by personal as well as household-specific characteristics and especially by intra-family allocation of time. Fathers increase their participation in food preparation as time invested in their own jobs decreases and their partner’s degree of employment increases. The decomposition of Tobit coefficients, following the MCDONALD/MOFFITT procedure, is discussed. The study reveals how time budget data can contribute to household economic research in an innovative way. Although time budget data do not unveil quality and quantitiy of the food in family households, the results of the study demonstrate the importance of institutionally organised nutrition education in kindergarten and school.
