Survey: 97% Of Iowans Consume Meat Weekly

(West Des Moines, IA) -- Results from a survey could explain why you may smell a lot of barbeque this summer. The Iowa Farm Bureau survey finds 97-percent of Iowa households eat meat and/or poultry at least weekly. The same survey finds 98-percent of Iowa households consume dairy at least weekly.

Iowa Farm Bureau’s Food and Farm Index® finds a strong preference for real meat as opposed to lab-grown imitation meat. The survey found 21% of Iowa grocery shoppers are somewhat likely to purchase lab-grown imitation meat, and 24% are likely to purchase plant-based imitation meat instead of real meat.

The survey finds 44% of all Iowa grocery shoppers expressed a likelihood to purchase plant-based imitation milk instead of real dairy milk, but one in three who have ever purchased imitation milk (33%) are not likely to purchase it again. 

The annual survey, now in its 10th year, was conducted online by The Harris Poll in the spring of 2023 and asked 500 Iowans, ages 20 to 60, with primary or shared household grocery shopping responsibilities about their purchasing habits and attitudes. The index also uncovered other trends and factors shaping consumption habits, including how and where Iowa grocery shoppers purchase meat and dairy for their families.