Feb 13, 2014 10:48 AM EST
Government Study Confirms That Americans Really Like Pizza

Apparently the rumor that Americans love pizza is true.

A new study released by the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Surveys Research Group found the total amount of pizza consumed by U.S. children and adults between 2007 and 2010.

Thirteen percent of Americans, or one in every eight people, over the age of two eat pizza on any given day. Older children from the ages six to 11 and adolescents from 12 to19, eat the most pizza, with 22 percent consumed daily.

Adults age 60 and over consume the least amount of pizza, with only six percent, according to the study.

"Called the world's most popular food, pizza has experienced growth in sales at both big chain and independent restaurants," the study noted. "In addition, frozen/chilled pizza also reported growth."

Other findings include:

-- Children from ages two to 19, are almost twice as likely to consume pizza than adults ages 20 years and over.

-- Kids tend to eat pizza for lunch or dinner, while adults typically eat pizza only for dinner.

-- Fifty-nine percent of Americans eat pizza at home.

-- A higher percentage of males (15 percent) than females (11 percent) consume pizza on any given day.

--  For adults, whites are more likely to consume pizza than blacks or Hispanics and for children there's no difference by race/ethnicity.

The study also stated that when consumed, pizza contributed about one-third of the daily intakes for sodium and calcium, saturated fat, fiber and more than half of the daily intake for lycopene. The pie holds a large intake of sodium with about 33 percent for children and 38 percent for adults on any given day.

Are you surprised by the USDA's results?

 PREVIOUS POST
NEXT POST