What Americans aren't eating

rml_16

and @rml_16: thank you for your oranges. They are delicious. But seriously, that is both weird and kinda sucky.

It really is! Florida oranges are yummy! I ate them all the time ... in NEW YORK. lol I guess they must make more money that way? I don't know.

My fiance grew up in West Palm and his aunt and uncle have orange groves. He won't eat the oranges from grocery stores ever. He says they have no taste.

rduhlir

Which foods aren't grown in the US? I'm irish so I wouldn't know.

I'm American and I have no clue what he's talking about. The US is a big country...there aren't many foods we can't grow somewhere in the country.

fruits and veggies are often grown seasonally...the US doesn't cover both the north and southern hemispheres...most of our typical grocery stores change very little in the fruits and veggies offered...you do the math.

Do you know you can't find Florida oranges in Florids grocery stores? You can buy locally-grown ones at farmer's markets and stuff, but we have Californian and Mexican oranges in gorcery stores. They ship ours to other states. SMH.

Actually, 75% of the oranges produced in Florida are used for juicing, which is why it is often so hard to find them in the grocery. CA also produces some of these oranges, but there is something about the FL air/soil/water make up that make them so perfect for juicing that companies prefer them over the other states. It is actually very rare that FL oranges are found in other state groceries because of this. When they are it is usually a sign of a good harvest year in FL.

The majority of the US produced oranges sold as whole fruits come from CA and TX...Mexico oranges usually only hit the shelf when there is a bad harvest year.

rml_16

It is actually very rare that FL oranges are found in other state groceries because of this.

I grew up in New York. Most of the oranges there were FL oranges.

_John_

Hey John (and btw I love your pic),

You're right...this time of year we are getting alot of our produce from Central and South America, although if you look carefully, you can still find some items grown in the U.S.. California, Texas, and Florida have a few areas that can support farming year-round. ( http://www.california-grown.com/PDFs/Whats-In-Season.pdf). And oranges are picked in December and apples picked in the late fall in Washington are still available in the stores everywhere.

And about the fish, you're kinda right again: we do import more than we used to, but we also do still have domestic commercial fishing off all our coasts, and its trying to thrive although pollution and overproduction are taking their toll: http://stateofthecoast.noaa.gov/com_fishing/welcome.html

and @rml_16: thank you for your oranges. They are delicious. But seriously, that is both weird and kinda sucky.
Sorry if I'm being pedantic, but this post hit 2 of my nerves: the one where I feel we need to support domestic food production more, and the one where I'm sick of the USDA telling me to eat more wheat bread and less meat.

importing tilapia is just sad...(granted that fish is NOT native to begin with...so not really a "legitimate" complaint anyway)

hell, you can just throw them in any pond in the spring in the southern US (where most of our catfish farmed (mississippi IIRC)) and grow a ****ton of them. They literally will eat the waste, and the byproducts on the pond from such waste, of other fish.

Athijade

Oh my goodness, the graphic on that website is quite a telling picture. It shows excessive consumption in the US of refined grains, sugars & sweets, as well as beverages. No wonder there's an obesity crisis.

Yea.. because grains and sugar is the WHOLE reason for obesity.

Please note the sarcasm.

The fact is, we eat too damn much. Period. You can get fat on anything if you eat more calories then you need. So stop with the BS "OMG grains and sugar make us fat".

SoDamnHungry

What I'm taking from this chart is that legumes taste horrible.

meshashesha2012

Which foods aren't grown in the US? I'm irish so I wouldn't know.

the fish and vegetables and fruit are what stood out to me the most, and those are (sadly on the fish especially for most of america) largely imported.

Can depend on season for the veggies and fruit though, as a lot are grown in the US.

believe it or not we export a lot of living fish overseas and eventually buy it back from them as food. crazy right?

somefitsomefat

I went to a Japanese hibachi place once and the cook at our table was latino. He did make the onion volcano but didn't squirt sake in our mouths. The terrorists have already won. 'Merica is doomed. On a more sane note I don't care where my food is grown. Just make it cheap and yummy.

KinoM

Given the size of both your country, the various climates & the size of your agricultural industry, it's staggering to read some of the food source stories on here.

Whenever I've visited the US I was astounded by the variety of local produce available, albeit in markets & pricier stores.

A thought though, that given a shift in popularity would more food stay in the country rather than go for export? Markets are driven by demand.

michellekicks

I'm certain I'm eating enough poultry to make up for everyone not eating their fair share.

likitisplit

I wonder if this data is affected by the fact our current EBT (food stamps) system allows free will of the card holder to purchase as they please with very limited guidelines and restrictions. Why buy FFV (fresh fruits and vegetables) when you can use the card value to purchase bottled water, Monster Energy drinks, soda, steak and deli items? We do have a WIC voucher system that forces the voucher holder's hand to purchase milk, eggs, beans, grains etc, but the ratio of EBT to WIC recipients is in the range of 9:1.

LOL. Have you ever tried to budget with food stamps?

sheermomentum

The thing about our food commodities markets is that they have been globalized to a large extent, just like other types of commodities markets. Alot of farmers, and not just here in the U.S., grow their food to be sold directly into these markets, controlled by distribution companies that work globally - so they pool resources and ship them wherever they are purchased. In theory, I guess that seems like a good thing, and it lets people in different places get access to foods they wouldn't have in off-seasons, and it helps to balance costs throughout the year. But there are a few reasons that I do prefer to buy as "locally" as I can, when I can.

But this has never stopped me from buying Spanish olive oil or imported cheese .

What do you mean when you say "a shift in popularity?" You mean, like, if we wanted to eat more of the things produced here?

IPAkiller

I wonder if this data is affected by the fact our current EBT (food stamps) system allows free will of the card holder to purchase as they please with very limited guidelines and restrictions. Why buy FFV (fresh fruits and vegetables) when you can use the card value to purchase bottled water, Monster Energy drinks, soda, steak and deli items? We do have a WIC voucher system that forces the voucher holder's hand to purchase milk, eggs, beans, grains etc, but the ratio of EBT to WIC recipients is in the range of 9:1.

LOL. Have you ever tried to budget with food stamps?

No, I budget with my own income. My monthly grocery expenses are close to and sometimes less than the average monthly EBT benefit given to a family with a single parent with child (In Wisconsin). So have I ever had to budget with free money, "no". Have I ever had to budget within the same financial range, "All the time".

KinoM

What do you mean when you say "a shift in popularity?" You mean, like, if we wanted to eat more of the things produced here?

Lets say the US produces lots of green beans, but exports the majority of them. Surely if green bean consumption rose within the US, the cheapest & fastest way for suppliers to meet that demand would be to sell the produce grown in the country?

bcattoes

Which foods aren't grown in the US? I'm irish so I wouldn't know.

I am also curious about this, and I've lived in the US all my 52 years.

I don't doubt this data is true, but it's also important to remember that this is not a chart of what American eat, it's what they buy in grocery stores.

It won't includefruits and vegetables from other sources such as homegrown or those bought at farmer's markets or co-ops or things of that nature, or meats from hunting or fish that were caught and eaten.

Of course, it also will include wasted food that were bought and not eaten. And the average American wastes a lot of food.

sheermomentum

I think it would depend on how those green beans were going to market. If they were going directly to local markets such as farmers markets and stores that deliberately source locally, and consumers were willing to pay the higher costs usually associated with those stores, then the farmers would sell them there. But if the farmers could make more money selling to the International Green Bean Company, then they would sell there, barring any philosophical restrictions.

Cuz farmers are business people too. They aren't necessarily looking for the cheapest way to meet a demand. Popularity usually drives prices up, not down.

Sabine_Stroehm

I wonder if this data is affected by the fact our current EBT (food stamps) system allows free will of the card holder to purchase as they please with very limited guidelines and restrictions. Why buy FFV (fresh fruits and vegetables) when you can use the card value to purchase bottled water, Monster Energy drinks, soda, steak and deli items? We do have a WIC voucher system that forces the voucher holder's hand to purchase milk, eggs, beans, grains etc, but the ratio of EBT to WIC recipients is in the range of 9:1.

How does this differ from the choices I can make and pay for? I'm not following.

Sabine_Stroehm

Thanks for posting this. I found it very interesting.

cwolfman13

Am I the only one confused by the recommended intake of soup?!

Yeah, I don't get it...what's wrong with soup that the recommended is so low? It's an easy one pot meal where I can get a lot of veg and protein. I make a ton of soups and stews in the winter...maybe it's processed canned soup? I don't eat much of that, but I make massive batches of homemade soups and stews in the winter...easy, efficient, and cost effective way to feed the family and get nutrition.

MrsG31

I think the chart is pretty accurate when I think about the foods my family members, co-workers, and friends consume.

Why is the recommended for eggs so low?? And what do you think the broad range of "Beverages" entails? Likely soda and tea...and beer....lots of beer consumed at my house. And apparently we all eat way too much soup. Maybe they mean canned soup because it is so high in sodium?

We are trying to do better with buying whole fruit and vegetables in my house. We just have to be comminted to eating it all and using it before it goes bad.

Sort off topic: IMO, low-fat diary is usually pretty gross. We use 1% milk, but I stopped getting "low fat" cream cheese and sour cream...it does not have the right consistency or taste to me and that can ruin a recipe.