A new study conducted by KRC Research on behalf of Peapod.com, the country's leading online grocer, reveals that New Yorkers are the least likely to have food stocked in their fridge.
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In fact, more New Yorkers (80%) have condiments vs. meat or seafood (59%) and two out of five (40%) admit to having expired food lurking in their refrigerators. It's no wonder that 41% say they prefer take-out/delivery or dining out.
It seems the barrier to a fully stocked fridge comes with the harrowing New York City grocery store experience. Eight-one percent of NYC residents report city food shopping woes, most commonly very long lines (48%), followed by crowded aisles (45%), sticker shock at prices (38%) and less-than-fresh produce (32%).
Shoppers who think they're in the clear once they leave the grocery aisles and hit the checkout line are mistaken - nearly a quarter of their shopping trip is spent waiting in line and checking out.
New Yorkers also report carrying an average of nearly 19 lbs. per grocery trip, turning their errands into a workout. To limit the "schlepp," New Yorkers end up having to make multiple runs to the store; 64% report that "I shop frequently so that I don't have to carry too many groceries home at once."
This lack of full fridge stock-ups leaves them pretty unprepared for surprise dinner guests or even a zombie apocalypse. Only 10% of New Yorkers identified themselves as a "Fabulous Foodie," someone who has everything needed to make a fancy meal fit for foreign dignitaries, and when asked how long they could survive on fridge contents alone, New Yorkers could only last an average of 6.6 days which is 1-2 days less than residents of other cities.
This is likely because New Yorkers have gone the longest - an average of 26.9 days - without fully restocking their fridge. This is a week longer than Philadelphians, who, coincidentally, buy a whopping 31.4 pounds of groceries during the average trip and would be able to last the longest off of the contents of their fridge. ■