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(West Des Moines, IA) -- The Iowa Farm Bureau’s Food and Farm Index® finds price is the most important factor influencing Iowa grocery shoppers purchases of meat, poultry and dairy this summer. Zach Bader of the Iowa Farm Bureau says they surveyed 500 Iowans, ages 20-to-60. One quarter of Iowa shoppers say price is the most important factor driving their purchases while two-thirds of shoppers (67% meat/poultry, 67% dairy) rank price in the top three. Additionally, 8 in 10 shoppers (79%) now say they are concerned about government regulation that increases food costs, up from 62% in last year’s survey. Bader says the pricing sentiment was the highest it's ever been in the poll's 9-year history.
The index finds 96% of Iowa households eat meat at least weekly, and 94% are weekly dairy consumers. Nearly 9 in 10 Iowa grocery shoppers consider animal-based proteins such as meat (90%) and milk (87%) as healthy options, and more than two-thirds of shoppers say they are likely to consume more meat and dairy after learning more about the unique nutritional attributes of those products.
Nearly 9 in 10 Iowa grocery shoppers (89%) are likely to purchase food based on its ability to support and strengthen their immune system. Sixty-nine percent of Iowa grocery shoppers are likely to increase meat and poultry consumption after learning they provide the majority of zinc in our diets, which aids proper immune system function.
This year’s index also asked Iowa grocery shoppers about their likelihood to use ethanol in their vehicles. Iowa grocery shoppers are more likely to fuel up with ethanol as they learn more about its benefits. Seventy-one percent are likely to increase their consumption of fuel that contains ethanol after learning that corn-based ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 40-50%, compared to regular gasoline. Sixty-five percent are likely to increase their consumption of fuel that contains ethanol after learning that ethanol is made from corn, and Iowa leads the nation in both corn and ethanol production.