Patterns of Legume Purchases and Consumption in the United States

Abstract

Background: Legumes are an inexpensive, healthy source of protein, fiber, and micronutrients, have low greenhouse gas and water footprints, and enrich soil through nitrogen fixation. Although higher legume consumption is recommended under US dietary guidelines, legumes currently comprise only a minor part of the US diet.Objectives: To characterize the types of legumes most commonly purchased by US consumers and patterns of legume purchases by state and region, seasonality of legume purchases, and to characterize adults that have a higher intake of legumes.Methods: We examined grocery market, chain supermarket, big box and club stores, Walmart, military commissary, and dollar store retail scanner data from Nielsen collected 2017–2019 and dietary intake from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2017–2018.Results: The five leading types of legumes purchased in the US were pinto bean, black bean, kidney bean, lima bean, and chickpea. The mean annual per capita expenditure on legumes based on grocery purchases was $4.76 during 2017–2019. The annual per capita expenditure on legumes varied greatly by state with highest expenditure in Louisiana, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and lowest expenditure in Washington, New York, and Wisconsin. There were large regional differences in the most commonly purchased legumes. Of 4,741 adults who participated in the 24-h dietary recall in NHANES, 2017–2018, 20.5% reported eating any legumes in the previous 24 h. Those who consumed legumes were more likely to be Hispanic, with a higher education level, with a larger household size (all P < 0.05), but were not different by age, gender, or income level compared to those who did not consume legumes.Conclusion: Although legumes are inexpensive, healthy, and a sustainable source of protein, per capita legume intake remains low in the US and below US dietary guidelines. Further insight is needed into barriers to legume consumption in the US.

Recognizing the importance of protein quality in an era of food systems transformation

“…Shifting dietary patterns toward higher legume, nut, and seed consumption requires significant changes in behavior, knowledge, and food preparation skills. A question therefore remains on how feasible such shifts would be given current dietary practices (Semba et al, 2021b).…”

Sustainability and Gender Perspective in Food Innovation: Foods and Food Processing Coproducts as Source of Macro- and Micro-Nutrients for Woman-Fortified Foods

“…Legumes (common beans, chickpeas, lentils, broad beans, etc.) are very complete foods because they contain almost all the nutrients we need; however, their consumption has drastically decreased (21 g/person/day), maybe due to their loss of prestige in developed countries [ 67 ]. Legumes are an important source of protein, dietary fiber, complex carbohydrates, iron, zinc, B complex vitamins and essential amino acids and are practically free of saturated fats [ 68 , 69 ].…”

Legume Intake, Body Weight, and Abdominal Adiposity: 10-Year Weight Change and Cross-Sectional Results in 15,185 U.S. Adults

“…Despite the many disease-prevention and health-enhancing qualities associated with legume intake, consumption levels tend to be modest in the U.S. and appear to be decreasing [ 7 , 8 ]. Based on purchasing data from grocery stores, chain supermarkets, club stores, and other retail outlets, Semba et al concluded in 2021, “Although legumes are inexpensive, healthy, and a sustainable source of protein, per capita legume intake remains low in the U.S. and below dietary guidelines” [ 9 ].…”