Bananas are the most appealing food in the supermarket basket
When many people run to the supermarket for weekly groceries, it seems that bananas are usually in the basket. Ahead of National Banana Day, Dole found some curious food facts about shopping habits and that appealing fruit.
From a topping for cereal to a simple mid-afternoon snack, the banana is a staple in many households. Even if one in the bunch gets sits in the fruit hammock a long, people have found ways to transform it into bread, a smoothie or another recipe idea.
Recently, Dole compiled an interesting survey that correlated bananas facts and grocery shopping habits. Given that the banana is considered the world’s most popular and most-often purchased produce item, there are some curious correlations with bananas and other food in the basket.
As William Goldfield, director of corporate communications for Dole explained, “Since bananas reign supreme as one of the most-purchased items in not only the produce department but the entire supermarket, a study of banana buying and consumption habits can reveal a lot about Americans’ thoughts on grocery shopping, health and nutrition overall. We know that as the brand behind the world’s most-requested banana, we need to keep up with the banana lover both on National Banana Day and throughout the year.”
A few fun banana facts that might surprise shoppers.
Given bananas versatility and wide appeal, it makes sense that it is a popular purchase. According to the Dole survey, “35% of respondents ranked bananas as a must-have grocery staple.” While bread, eggs, meat, milk, and coffee out rank the fruit, it is still pretty popular. In some ways, if people stop purchasing bananas, it might reveal some other curious shopping habits. Sometimes if popular food buys go away, people might be experiencing some tough financial times.
In addition to the bananas’ popularity, it seems that people have come to use bananas as a sugar substitute. Although the idea is clear in a smoothie or that always popular bread recipe, there are other options, too. The banana pancake bites have become a big trend. Plus, pureed banana can have a better texture than applesauce.
No matter the reason why people are adding bananas to their shopping list, the reality is that the fruit is and will continue to be popular. It might not be as ingrained as the old phrase about an apple a day, but it might be time to change the saying to a new fruit for that daily habit.