AICR
Over the last 40 years, potatoes and tomatoes remain by far the most popular vegetables in America, according to updated government data.
Data comes from the US Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, updated August 3, 2016.
The per capita availability, an indicator of consumption, showed that Americans were eating close to 120 pounds of potatoes per year and 70 pounds of tomatoes in 1974. Forty years later, potato availability nudged slightly down and tomatoes moved slightly up, but both remained far more popular than the third most consumed vegetable: sweet corn.
Both in the 1970s and 2014, Americans were eating four to five times more potatoes than sweet corn.
In 2014, cucumbers and romaine and leaf lettuce at 11 and 11 pounds per person, respectively, replaced cabbage and carrots in the top seven vegetable rankings.
The amount of vegetables recommended depends upon your age, activity level and other factors. According to the government guidelines, in general, adults on a 2,000 calorie diet should eat about 2.5 cups of vegetables per day. One cup is about the size of your fist and one-half cup looks like 1/2 baseball.
Source: USDA. Potatoes, tomatoes, and sweet corn remain most popular vegetables among U.S. consumers. ERS’s Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System
