Eating habit statistics show a mixed picture in the United States: most adults reported eating vegetables on a given day, but far fewer met federal fruit and vegetable recommendations. Recent data also track fast-food calories, spending away from home, food-safety behavior, and use of labels and menu information.
Key Eating Habit Statistics
The following highlights cover the main measured patterns across U.S. adults and consumers:
- In August 2021–August 2023, 69.9% of U.S. adults consumed some fruit on a given day.
- In August 2021–August 2023, 93.3% of U.S. adults consumed some vegetables on a given day.
- In 2019, 12.3% of U.S. adults met federal fruit recommendations.
- In 2019, 10.0% of U.S. adults met federal vegetable recommendations.
- In August 2021–August 2023, 73.8% of U.S. women and 65.8% of men consumed fruit on a given day.
- In August 2021–August 2023, 95.8% of U.S. women and 90.7% of men consumed vegetables on a given day.
- In August 2021–August 2023, 32.0% of U.S. adults age 20 and older consumed fast food on a given day.
- In August 2021–August 2023, adults obtained an average 11.7% of daily calories from fast food.
- From 2013–2014 to August 2021–August 2023, the adult fast-food calorie share fell from 14.1% to 11.7%.
- In 2023, U.S. food spending reached $2.57 trillion.
- In 2023, food away from home represented 58.5% of total U.S. food spending.
- In 2023, consumers spent 11.2% of disposable personal income on food.
- In 2019, 76% of U.S. adults reported washing their hands with soap after touching raw meat.
- In 2019, 62% of U.S. adults reported owning a food thermometer.
- In 2019, 87% of U.S. adults had looked at the Nutrition Facts label on food packages.
- In 2019, 70% of U.S. adults reported seeing calorie information on restaurant menus or menu boards.
Contents
- Fruit and vegetable eating habit statistics
- Fruit and vegetable data by sex and income
- Fast-food eating habits and calorie trends
- Eating out, eating at home, and food spending
- Food-safety habits in everyday eating
- Nutrition-label and menu-use statistics
Fruit and Vegetable Eating Habit Statistics
The CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) provides a day-specific view of reported intake. In August 2021–August 2023, 69.9% of U.S. adults reported consuming some fruit and 93.3% reported consuming some vegetables on the recall day (CDC/NCHS, Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023).
That day-of-recall measure is not the same as usual intake. A person who reported no fruit on the selected day may still eat fruit regularly on other days.
The 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) estimates use self-reported frequency data converted to USDA Food Pattern recommendations. They therefore address recommendation attainment rather than whether any serving was reported on one day.
| Measure | U.S. adult result | Period and definition |
|---|---|---|
| Met federal fruit recommendations | 12.3% | 2019; BRFSS frequency converted to USDA patterns |
| Met federal vegetable recommendations | 10.0% | 2019; BRFSS frequency converted to USDA patterns |
| State range meeting fruit recommendations | 8.4%–16.1% | 2019; U.S. states |
| State range meeting vegetable recommendations | 5.6%–16.0% | 2019; U.S. states |
Source: CDC, Adults Meeting Fruit and Vegetable Intake Recommendations — United States, 2019. State estimates are BRFSS-based modeled food-pattern equivalents, so they should not be read as direct measurements of servings.
Fruit and Vegetable Data by Sex and Income
NHANES also shows differences in day-of-recall consumption by sex. During August 2021–August 2023, 73.8% of women consumed fruit compared with 65.8% of men, while 95.8% of women consumed vegetables compared with 90.7% of men (CDC/NCHS).
| Group | Fruit consumed on recall day | Vegetables consumed on recall day |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 73.8% | 95.8% |
| Men | 65.8% | 90.7% |
| Lowest family-income group | About 59% | About 89% |
| Highest family-income group | About 78% | About 96% |
Fruit consumption increased across family-income groups, from about 59% in the lowest group to about 78% in the highest. Vegetable consumption rose from about 89% to about 96%; income was measured relative to the federal poverty level, and both measures describe the recall day rather than usual intake.
Fast-Food Eating Habits and Calorie Trends
For adults age 20 and older, NHANES found that 32.0% consumed fast food on a given day in August 2021–August 2023, while 68.0% reported no fast food on that recall day (CDC/NCHS, Fast-food Intake Among Adults in the United States, August 2021–August 2023). A no-consumption day does not establish that someone never or rarely eats fast food.
The same survey estimated how much of daily energy came from fast food on the recall day:
- 11.4% of adults obtained more than 0% but less than 25% of daily calories from fast food.
- 12.0% obtained 25% to 50% of daily calories from fast food.
- 8.6% obtained more than half of daily calories from fast food.
- Adults obtained an average 11.7% of daily calories from fast food.
Age differences were pronounced in the reported means. Adults ages 20–39 obtained 15.2% of calories from fast food, compared with 11.9% for ages 40–59 and 7.6% for adults age 60 and older.
Men obtained 12.1% and women 11.3% of calories from fast food overall; the reported overall sex difference was not statistically significant. Among ages 20–39, the figures were 15.3% for men and 15.0% for women; among ages 40–59, 12.2% and 11.5%; and among adults 60 and older, 8.1% and 7.2%.
The adult fast-food calorie share fell from 14.1% in 2013–2014 to 11.7% in August 2021–August 2023. The later estimate was comparable with the 11.3% reported for 2007–2010; these are descriptive comparisons between different NHANES periods and samples, not a continuous panel of the same people.
Eating Out, Eating at Home, and Food Spending
USDA Economic Research Service data describe the money side of eating habits, not the quantity of food or calories consumed. In 2023, U.S. food spending reached $2.57 trillion, and per-capita food spending was $7,672, up 7.5% from 2022 (USDA ERS, U.S. Consumers Increased Spending on Food Away From Home in 2023, Driving Overall Food Spending Growth).
| Spending measure | 2022 | 2023 | Change or share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per-capita food spending | $7,134 | $7,672 | Up 7.5% nominally |
| Per-capita food away from home | $4,004 | $4,485 | Up 12.0% nominally |
| Per-capita food at home | $3,130 | $3,187 | Up 1.8% nominally |
| Share of total food spending away from home | — | 58.5% | 2023 share |
| Share of total food spending at home | — | 41.5% | 2023 share |
The 2023 figures are nominal, so price effects are included. Food away from home accounted for 58.5% of total food spending, but a spending share is not a share of food volume, calories, or meals.
Consumers spent 11.2% of disposable personal income on food in 2023, combining at-home and away-from-home food. In inflation-adjusted terms, per-capita food-away-from-home spending increased an average of 10% annually from 2021 to 2023 and was 11.9% above 2019 in 2023; it fell 15.6% in 2020.
Constant-dollar food-at-home spending increased an average 2.8% annually from 2016 to 2021, then fell 3.1% in 2023. These are spending trends, not direct evidence of healthier or less healthy eating.
Food-Safety Habits in Everyday Eating
The FDA’s 2019 Food Safety and Nutrition Survey covered adults age 18 and older in the 50 states and District of Columbia. Its figures are weighted national probability survey estimates, and perceptions and behaviors are self-reported (FDA, 2019 Food Safety and Nutrition Survey Report).
Perceptions differed by food and setting:
- 15% thought food poisoning from food prepared at home was very common, compared with 29% for food prepared in restaurants.
- 93% considered raw chicken likely or highly likely to have germs, compared with 66% for raw beef, 9% for raw vegetables, and 6% for fruit.
- 97% had heard of Salmonella and 88% had heard of E. coli, while 7% had heard of Campylobacter and 4% of Vibrio.
Reported handwashing and thermometer practices were uneven. 76% reported washing with soap after touching raw meat, 68% before preparing food, and 39% after cracking raw eggs.
Overall, 62% reported owning a food thermometer. Among relevant thermometer owners who cooked the item, use was reported by 85% for whole chickens, 79% for beef, lamb, or pork roasts, 40% for chicken parts, and 36% for burgers; ownership does not imply use or accuracy.
Nutrition-Label and Menu-Use Statistics
Label exposure was common in the FDA’s 2019 survey, although the data measure reported attention rather than whether choices became healthier. 87% of adults had looked at the Nutrition Facts label on food packages (FDA).
More than 80% had seen each of the listed package claims, including no-added-sugar, whole-grain, organic, gluten-free, low-fat, and low-sugar claims. The FDA summary reports this as a threshold above 80%, not an exact percentage for each claim.
Restaurant calorie information was also widely reported: 70% had seen calorie information on menus or menu boards. Among adults who had seen it, 53% reported using it; this conditional self-report does not measure a reduction in calories purchased.