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American Consumers Prefer Pasta Over Chocolate!

Recent Survey Conducted on Behalf of the National Pasta Association Shows that Americans Would Give Up Chocolate before Skipping the Spaghetti

According to a recent survey conducted for the National Pasta Association (NPA) by Kelton Research, consumers picked pasta over chocolate as the one food they could not live without.  Fifty-nine percent of Americans ages 18-54 said they would give up chocolate before they’d skip the spaghetti, elbows or fusilli.

According to the NPA survey, an average American eats pasta seven times per month and has five packages of dry pasta in their cupboard or pantry.  Tallied up, Americans eat about 20 pounds of pasta per person in the U.S. each year.

With that rate of consumption, it’s no wonder that one in five of those surveyed who had tried and failed at low carbohydrate dieting said pasta was their downfall – they missed it too much.  That compares to only 16% who said they lacked motivation to stick with the plan.

Those surveyed believe that pasta is affordable (79%), easy to prepare (80%) and a food that most people enjoy (72%).

Which pasta is found on more plates?  Thirty-two percent of those surveyed say spaghetti is their personal favorite, followed by angel hair with 16% of the votes, and penne with 11%.   Bowties came in last with only 4% of the tally.

When asked which celebrity they’d most like to share a plate of pasta with, women selected Johnny Depp over George Clooney and Denzel Washington.   Men preferred Jessica Alba over Halle Berry and Jennifer Lopez.
 

About the Survey
The National Pasta Association Pasta Survey was conducted by Kelton Research between September 16th and September 23rd, 2011 via email invitation and an online survey.  There were 1,029 respondents.  Quotas were set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population ages 18 and over. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results.  In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample. The survey was conducted in September 2011

About National Pasta Association
The NPA is the trade association for the United States pasta industry.  Founded in 1904, the NPA is comprised of manufacturing, industry supplier, and allied industry representatives.  The organization provides leadership to the industry on public policy issues, serving as its voice in Washington, D.C.  The NPA also forges alliances with key organizations, monitors and addresses technical issues, and organizes events and seminars for the industry.

NPA’s www.PastaFits.org website offers tasty recipes, cooking tips, fun pasta facts and nutritional information. In addition, food fans can get daily news and updates by following @PastaFits on Twitter or visiting www.facebook.com/PastaFits.  For additional information about pasta, please visit: www.pastafits.org .
November 2011
 

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