Profile America: National Salad Month

Sunday, May 15 — The summer season ahead will see many backyard parties among friends and neighbors. In addition to grilled chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs, there will be baked beans and potato chips, often joined by a salad. Most grocery stores now carry a wide variety of greens, where some years ago the standard all across America was simply iceberg lettuce. This variety is noted in May, as it’s National Salad Month. Annually, Americans eat an average of around 25½ pounds of lettuce, 20 of onions, 10 pounds of bell peppers, 10½ of carrots and cucumbers, just under 4 pounds of mushrooms, and 86 pounds of tomatoes. To flavor the salads, 29,000 Americans work for the 728 manufacturers of mayonnaise, seasonings, dressings, and prepared sauce.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

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