Abstract            Volume:14  Issue-2  Year-2026         Original Research Articles

Online ISSN : 2347 - 3215 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcret@gmail.com

Population growth associated with urban expansion generates social changes, especially in the agri-food sector. Urbanization is indeed accompanied by socio-economic transformations and a social reorganization of food consumption, one consequence of which is the increase in eating outside the home. This study aims to understand the effects of these urban changes on evolving dietary norms in the city of Niamey through the example of breakfast. Built around a mixed-methods approach (quantitative to determine the extent of out-of-home dining and qualitative to explore in detail the socio-cultural factors underlying these changes), the study yielded the following results: an increase in out-of-home consumption nationwide, but more pronounced in the city of Niamey; a shift away from the three-meal-a-day norm towards snacking; and a relaxation of norms through the desacralization of meals, particularly breakfast, which is losing its ritualistic function. The factors driving these changes include the urban environment, the rise in salaried employment, especially among women, changing family structures, and age (young people eat out more than adults). However, there is no clear gender divide.

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