Percentage of households in America that are “food insecure”:
Percentage of food in the country that goes to waste:
Amount the average American household spends on food each week per person:
Amount companies spend advertising food, beverages, and candy in one year:
$7,459,000,000
Percentage of Americans who grow a vegetable garden:
Percentage of food and beverage sales that are organic:
Percentage of 12-17 year olds who say they eat dinner with their families at least 5 times a week:
Percentage of Americans who regularly watch TV while eating dinner:
Average number of miles produce travels before it is sold:
Number of calories the average American eats per day:
3,774
Number of calories the average Guatemalen eats per day:
2,219
Adult obesity rate in 2008:
Adult obesity rate in 1971:
Percentage of school cafeterias that cook “less than half” of their food from scratch:
Percentage of school cafeterias that serve restaurant-branded fast food:
33%
Click on hyperlinks to see sources for statistics. All other statistics from the 2009 World Almanac and Hungry Planet by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio
This is part of a New Urban Habitat series: Snapshots of America:
- A Snapshot of Car-Usage in America
- A Snapshot of Education in America.
- A Snapshot of Waste in America.