U.S. food consumption hits record high on Super Bowl Sunday
This year’s Super Bowl LVII will be played on Feb. 11 at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, showcasing the battle between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Regardless of who is crowned the winner of the Super Bowl LVII, the real winner this Sunday are the two million farm families working to provide everyone’s favorite game day meals and snacks, as the championship game ranks among the top days of the year for food consumption in the U.S.
The classics
According to the National Chicken Council, almost 1.5 billion chicken wings are consumed during the big game.
In fact, researchers found chicken wings are actually the most popular food in New York, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and according to Study Finds, nearly two in five people plan to eat buffalo wings on Super Bowl Sunday.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Census of Agriculture reported there were more than 164,000 farms raising chickens and eggs, as of 2017.
Among the top poultry producing states was Georgia, North Carolina and Arkansas, producing more than five billion dollars in poultry and eggs.
Over eight million pounds of corn tortilla chips will be eaten during the game, and thanks to American corn farmers, the U.S. is the world’s largest corn producer, producing over 289.7 million metric tons of corn for consumption.
One of the top gameday foods is pizza, and one of the top ingredients in the cheesy dish is wheat. U.S. farmers produced 1.65 million bushels of wheat on 37.2 million acres of American soil in 2021, according to the USDA.
A good pizza or plate of nachos wouldn’t be the same without cheese, and according to estimates by Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, American families purchase more than 25 million pounds of cheese for the big game.
Wisconsin crafts around 600 types, styles and varieties of cheese, and is responsible for producing 50 percent of the nation’s specialty cheeses.
In 2023, there were 36,064 dairy farms in business in the U.S., an increase of 0.2 percent from 2022, and dairy cows produce more than 226 billion pounds of milk every year.
The USDA reports the top five milk production states in 2022 were California, Wisconsin, Idaho, Texas and New York. Collectively, these five states produced more than 50 percent of the U.S. annual milk supply.
New favorites
A Midwest game day snack favorite is tater tots, and potatoes remain the top vegetable crop in the U.S., according to the National Potato Council.
Potatoes are grown commercially in 30 states, but Idaho grows more potatoes than any other state, followed by Washington. North Dakota, Wisconsin and Colorado are also leading producers of potatoes.
According to a new survey, meatballs take the number one spot on the list of foods to consume on Super Bowl Sunday in Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Vermont and Wyoming.
“Farmers are proud to grow the food America’s families rely on for Championship Sunday and every other day of the year,” said American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall in a recent AFBF post.
“We all benefit from one of the world’s most affordable and abundant food supplies. It’s made possible by hardworking farm families and supported by strong agricultural policies in the farm bill,” he added. “As we all enjoy this year’s big game, we encourage lawmakers to get a new farm bill past the goal line and bring a win home to every family in America.”
Advocating for ag
Fans tuning into the Super Bowl may see a few familiar faces in a new commercial, featuring five Illinois farm families.
The commercial, titled “Career Path,” will air during Super Bowl LVIII and showcase “We Are The 96%” campaign, highlighting the state’s family-owned farms.
In 2023, the Illinois Farm Families organization set out to create more awareness of locally-owned farms and build consumer trust through showing Illinoisans exactly who is behind their food.
Since launching in February 2023 with the initial “We Are The 96%” Super Bowl commercial, the campaign has been promoted statewide and has featured more than 25 farm families across the state.
Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
