In its study, entitled “Hispanic Food Shoppers in the U.S.,” Packaged Food found that the majority of Latinos don't buy peanut butter, pretzels or pickles. Hispanic shoppers also shy away from ground beef and hamburgers, preferring to cook up steak instead.
When it comes to the dairy section, 52 percent of Latino shoppers said they buy whole milk instead of skim or other less fatty versions. That's compared to 32 percent of Americans overall.
While the report looks at the Latino population in general – about one-sixth of the total U.S. population – it acknowledges that there is a wide difference between the various Hispanic groups. The report found that the Puerto Ricans and Dominicans residing in the New York metropolitan area, for example, are more likely to eat bagels.
“Puerto Ricans have a long history on the U.S. mainland and are more likely than other Latino groups to reflect the habits of food shoppers as a whole,” a press release from Packaged Food asserted. “Still other variations are more straightforwardly related to national and regional origins, including the obvious fact that packaged 'Mexican' foods and ingredients are most likely to be used by Latinos whose heritage is from Mexico or Central America.”
The report also acknowledged the growing purchasing power of Latinos in the U.S. It forecasts that spending by Hispanic food shoppers will reach $86 billion in 2018 – a cumulative growth of more than 28 percent.
Another interesting insight into the Hispanic shopping mentality – and family life in general – was that almost 60 percent of those surveyed said that their children are regularly involved in cooking, compared with 51 percent for all consumers.
So does the family that cooks together, stay together? Possibly, provided that it doesn't involve peanut butter or pretzels.
Source: Published originally on FoxLatinoNewsas U.S. Latinos Hate Peanut Butter, Pretzels, Study Of Food-Shopping Habits Finds, September 3, 2014.