Recent survey shows the sandwich is still an American favorite after 250 years
NOVEMBER 8, 2012 – Washington, D.C. – A recent survey commissioned by the Grain Foods Foundation and conducted online by Harris Interactive® indicates that more than a third (41%) of American adults eat sandwiches up to six times a week, and more than 60% of American adults eat a sandwich at least once per week. In fact, Americans like their sandwiches so much that 86% of adults maintain they would rather spend their lunchtime eating a sandwich than checking Facebook.
It is worth noting that 2012 marks the 250th anniversary of the sandwich. The beloved food form was born in England in 1762, when Sir John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, didn’t want to put his cards down in the midst of a marathon game of poker so requested his meat be served to him between two slices of bread. With Americans now consuming over a billion sandwiches a year, sandwiches may in fact be our most popular national dish.
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the sandwich and to showcase its star ingredient – the bread – during National Bread Month, the Grain Foods Foundation has enlisted celebrity chef and sandwich aficionado Bryan Voltaggio to create four, exclusive sandwich recipes showcasing the vast potential of this kitchen staple.
“Sandwiches have long been a go-to meal for my family, which inspired me to open an entire restaurant dedicated to this highly versatile food,” said Voltaggio. “Sandwiches can be dressed up or served casual, taste great, and more importantly, they’re also one of the healthiest, most convenient and affordable foods available.”
In fact, 77% of U.S. adults cite convenience and 59% taste as top reasons they eat sandwiches. Health also plays a major role when choosing a sandwich for lunch, with more than three-quarters of Americans (83%) citing nutrition as a reason to go with the grain. Sandwiches can provide a complete meal with grains, protein, dairy and veggies (65%) They also provide two full servings of grains (26%), and many types of bread are rich in B vitamins, folic acid, iron and fiber (22%).
“Bread and grains provide many of the essential nutrients our bodies need to stay healthy and help fight diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, some cancers and birth defects,” said Christine Cochran, executive director of the Grain Foods Foundation. “That’s why the Dietary Guidelines for Americans continue to recommend eating six one-ounce servings of grain foods each day, with at least three servings coming from whole grains.”
To view Chef Voltaggio’s sandwich recipes, and for expert nutrition advice as well as video tips for including more wholesome bread and grains in your diet, please visit www.gowiththegrain.org.
About the Grain Foods Foundation
The Grain Foods Foundation, a joint venture of members of the milling, baking and allied industries formed in 2004, is dedicated to advancing public understanding of the beneficial role grain-based foods play in the human diet. Directed by a board of trustees, funding for the Foundation is provided through voluntary donations from public and private grain-based food companies and is supplemented by industry associations. For more information about the Grain Foods Foundation, visit gowiththegrain.org, or find GoWithTheGrain on Facebook and Twitter.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States between October 19th and 23rd, 2012 among 2,124 adults (aged 18 and over) by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Mullen via its Quick Query omnibus product. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.