The history of peanut butter in the Canadian diet dates back to 1884 when Montrealer Marcellus Gilmore Edson first patented modern peanut butter for peanut candy. Since then, peanuts and peanut butter have been inseparable from the Canadian diet. According to a recent survey conducted by Leger Marketing and Erickson Research, a significant percentage of Canadians consume peanuts and/or peanut butter at least once a week. What’s more interesting is that only a small percentage of Canadians consume peanuts because of the nutritional benefits, while a larger percentage of Canadians indicated that they consume peanuts because they enjoy the taste and flavour.
Read below for more statistics on how Canadians like to consume peanuts and peanut butter:
- • The number of households that indicated heavy peanut butter consumption (once per week or more) has increased to 80 per cent from 75 per cent
- • 94 per cent of Canadian households consume peanut butter; 80 per cent eat peanut butter once per week or more
- • 95 per cent of households eat peanuts; 61 per cent eat them at least once a week
- • 71 per cent of Canadian households consume peanut butter for breakfast; 41 per cent consumer peanut butter at lunch; and 49 per cent consume peanut butter as a snack between meals
- • Late evening (68 per cent) is the most popular time to consume peanuts, followed by afternoon (56 per cent) and morning (15 per cent)
- • Only 22 per cent of the respondents indicated that they consume peanuts because they are nutritious; 43 per cent of the respondents indicated that they consume peanuts because of their taste or flavour
- • 61 per cent of Canadians regularly snack on peanuts, making them the second most preferred snack food, after chips
- • 82 per cent of Canadians eat peanut butter spread on bread, toast or baked snacks (including crackers, bagels, English muffins, etc.)
- • 71 per cent of Canadians believe that peanut butter is a good ingredient in baking
Source: Leger Marketing (2013 Research) and Erickson Research (2014 Research)