Super Bowl Sunday grinds some 100 million Americans to a halt in order to witness the crowning moment of the NFL season, and with it comes a whole day of festivities and traditions for even the most anti-football observers to indulge in.
Half-time shows, extravagant commercials and tailgate parties are all rolled into the added fanfare on the day, but perhaps the defining part of the Super Bowl experience is the food. Copious amounts of food.
Super Bowl Sunday almost feels like a free pass to eat and drink as much as possible while the spectacle rumbles on, and the old age debate of which party food is most fitting for the occasion continues to dominate pre-game planning for millions of households.
No matter what your preference is, whether it be chicken wings, pizza, nachos or ribs, Americans do not hold back on this most sacred of culinary days.
Super Bowl Sunday Food Consumption
It is no surprise that ‘Super Sick Monday’, the day following the Super Bowl, averages a productivity loss of roughy $6 billion due to fans feeling worse for wear after a full day of loading on calories – around 2,400 per person is thought to be the average.
A potent concoction of food rich in saturated fats and sugar, combined with the stomach-churning properties of multiple beers ultimately contributes to a mass absence from work across the nation, so we are putting the total food consumption under the microscope and taking you through the absurdity of Super Bowl eating habits.
Second Only to Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is the only other day on the calendar where Americans consume more food than Super Bowl Sunday. While not an official ‘holiday’, it would seem most of the nation treat it as such, with the accompanying food becoming just as important as the action itself.
Super Bowl Sunday is the 2nd biggest food consumption day in America. The first being Thanksgiving Day. 70 percent of football fans will consume 4.5 times more calories than their normal intake. So enjoy your beer, pizza, wings and chips, just don’t weigh yourself tomorrow!🍕🍺
— Bridges Not Walls (@bebe1969) February 13, 2022
One in Seven Americans Order Takeout
It is estimated that one in seven people across the country indulge in a takeout, with an overwhelming percentage of those (60%) being pizzas; in fact, pizza is the most popular game day snack for viewers at home.
Chicken Wings…and More Chicken Wings
Second only to pizza, chicken wings have long been synonymous with Super Bowl parties – they’re easy to prepare, bitesize and handheld which is the trifecta for viewers fixated on the unfolding action.
An estimated 1.33 billion wings are consumed every year for the Super Bowl, which equates to around 700 million chickens.
How Much Cheese is Too Much Cheese?
Cheese is a key component of any Super Bowl party, whether it be part of a dip for nachos, or perhaps centre stage on a deli tray.
Either way, this game day staple is consumed on mass with around 88 million pounds of cheese eaten on Super Bowl Sunday.
All Things Grilled
Some 14 billion hamburgers are thought to be slapped on the grill nationwide, while 10 million pounds of ribs and 12.5 million pounds of bacon are purchased in preparation.
Chips, Dips and Snacks
Dips are one of the more popular avenues for people to go down when hosting, with 32% of Americans saying they planned on making some sort of variation last year.
On average, around eight million pounds of guacamole is consumed and 138 million pounds of avocados are purchased prior to game day.
To accompany that, over eight million pounds of tortilla chips are eaten, while popular snacks such as pretzels (four million pounds), popcorn (eight million pounds) and nuts (2.5 million pounds) are all favourites amongst American viewers.
Beer
We round off the Super Bowl Sunday consumption list with perhaps the defining part of many people’s experience – beer.
It is believed that around 50 million cases of beer are purchased in preparation, $1.3 billion spent in the fortnight leading up to the game, as well as 325 million gallons of the wheatey deliciousness washed back down on the day itself.
