Red state and blue state fresh produce preferences nearly the same, survey says

Supporters of both political parties are nearly identical in their love of fruits and vegetables, a new survey shows.

Idaho Falls, Idaho-based Category Partners LLC conducted a survey of 2,000 consumers found many more similarities than differences in their food preferences, according to a news release.

The survey found 56% of Joe Biden supporters claimed they eat fresh fruits and vegetables at least daily. Fifty-four percent of Donald Trump supporters said the same, according to the release.

“While we were not surprised by the results, it felt good to confirm that all Americans are pretty much the same despite some loud voices out there claiming political supporters of the other candidate ‘must be insane,’” Tom Barnes, CEO of Category Partners, said in the release. “As my grandfather would always say — we all still put our pants on one leg at a time, and I would add that we all still prefer to eat fresh foods as often as possible. We aren’t all that different.”

In the produce department, the survey found that Trump and Biden supporters agree that potatoes are their favorite vegetable and strawberries are their favorite fruit.

Similar results were noted for dairy. The largest disparity between Trump and Biden supporters is found in the meat department, according to the release, with 33% of Biden supporters eating meat at least daily compared to 40% of Trump supporters.

Retail preference

Category Partners found that Trump supporters are slightly more likely to shop at superstores or club warehouses, while Biden supporters are more likely to shop at natural/specialty stores, according to the release.

Biden supporters also are slightly more likely to lean toward purchasing organic and sustainably-farmed fresh foods, according to the survey.

“While there is a slight difference in shopping behaviors among the supporters of either candidate, the differences are minor,” Cara Ammon, senior vice president of research and market intel for Category Partners, said in the release. “Those looking for a certain type of food or prefer to shop at a particular type of store can be found supporting both major presidential candidates.”

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