From a recent NPR article, this week’s Five Friday Facts are about food consumption in the US last year.
- 1,996 pounds, or nearly one ton. This is an estimate of how much — by weight — the average American eats over the course of one year. The figure comes from economists who crunched food consumption data collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- We consume about 630 pounds of milk, yogurt, cheese and ice cream per year. About 31 pounds of cheese alone sailed down our gullets and about 185 pounds of chicken, turkey, pork and beef per person (though beef consumption is trending downward).
- Wheat and other grains total 197 pounds.
- While we eat about 273 pounds per person of fruit most of it is water weight. Few Americans eat the recommended five fruits a day. While we do get some 415 pounds of vegetables into our diet each year, the most popular choices are corn and potatoes.
- 141 pounds of sweeteners (including 42 pounds of corn syrup a year), and 85 pounds of fats.
Here’s a bonus fact from the article:
- The USDA estimates that the average American is eating more than the recommended 2,000 calories a day. It’s hovering around 2,700.
Image source: Metropolitan Museum of Art
