The origin, objectives, process, and findings — consumer insights to help regional grain farmers, processors and end-users better educate eaters about regional grains.
Multi-year data analysis and primary authorship by Rebekah Schulz (Nutrition PhD Candidate, University of Minnesota). Data collection and analysis for individual years of data was conducted by past AGC Fellow Katelyn Mann and Jenileigh Harris (AGC Operations Manager). Lauren Asprooth (UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems) supported survey questions and design. Editing and report design by Artisan Grain Collaborative (AGC) staff Elena Byrne (Communications Manager) with support from Alyssa Hartman (Executive Director).
Special thank you to AGC members Samuel Taylor (Long Table) and Claire Smith (Tenera Grains, Teffola) for inspiring the survey and working with AGC staff to develop the tool in 2021. Thanks also to the dozens of AGC members who provided feedback on the survey and disseminated it to their networks—collecting this information would not have been possible without their help.
Funding for this resource was made possible by Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust, Walton Family Foundation, and Organic Research and Extension Initiative grant numbers 2020-51300-32379 and 2023-51300-40916, Value-added Grains for Local and Regional Food Systems.
The Artisan Grain Collaborative’s (AGC) Grain Views and Habits survey was conducted to better understand consumer knowledge, attitudes, and behavior regarding artisan grain and general food purchasing habits across the Midwest states of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. As part of AGC’s larger goals to strengthen the grain chain, this project surveyed followers and fans of Midwest regional grains to understand how eaters are thinking about and engaging with these foods. Questions included grain term familiarity, preferences, and engagement, as well as shopping habits and behaviors. This report documents the origin, objectives, process, and findings of the survey to provide consumer insights and better educate eaters about regional grains.
AGC members and staff defined 22 questions spanning the categories of grain values, grain and farming term familiarity, consumer food behavior and shopping preferences, gluten consumption, and demographics. (See Appendix for survey questions). These questions were divided into eight sections: 1) We value your input, 2) Tell us about you and grains, 3) Grains have values, 4) Food in your home, 5) Gluten, 6) Limiting and Avoiding Gluten, 7) The Pandemic, and 8) Demographics.
The survey was disseminated primarily by AGC members through their newsletters and social media platforms. The survey was also shared through AGC’s newsletter and social media platforms. Because of this dissemination strategy, respondents were more likely than the general public to be familiar with regional grains. Some respondents were from outside of AGC’s region.
The Grain Views & Habits survey was conducted in 2021, 2022, and 2023, with response rates of 955, 679, and 603 respectively. The survey questions and design remained largely the same each year it was disseminated, with only small wording changes for clarity. Survey highlights and findings presented in this report are a result of descriptive quantitative and qualitative analysis of the three years (2021-2023) of Grain Views & Habits Survey data.
Key trends across the three years of Grain Views & Habits Survey data include insights on consumer familiarity with grain and farming terms, the motivators that direct grain and general shopping decisions, dietary patterns most often tried by respondents, and gluten knowledge and avoidance trends. Some of the most compelling highlights include:
The following summaries elaborate on these highlights from each section of the survey data:
Most respondents reported that they eat grains daily (>60%) with less than 5% reporting they only eat grains 1-2 times a week.12 Across all three years, values alignment was respondents' number one reason for buying products with regional grains (>33%), with local to me ranked as equally important in 2023 (Figure 1).13 Each survey year yielded the same ranking of priorities for reasons that motivate respondents the most to the least: values alignment, local to me, better nutrition, better taste, I like to try new things, and all of the above.
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Nutrition was the leading issue driving grain purchasing among respondents, followed by local farming, health of local economies, and organic farming (Figure 2).14 Viewing the data in Figures 1 and 2 together, it appears that nutrition, values alignment, and local farming are all strong motivators for consumer grain purchasing.
Respondents also listed qualitative reasons for what motivates them to purchase regional grains, entered into the “other” reasons for buying regional grains. The following themes were developed from common responses to the open-ended questions. Frequency of response is listed next to the theme, along with a sample quote:15
Respondents additionally listed qualitative reasons for what deters them from buying regional grains. The following themes were developed from common responses to the open-ended questions. Frequency of responses is listed next to the theme, along with a sample quote:16
Accessibility/availability issues (4) - respondents mention that regional grain products are not available in their area (“I don’t buy… regional grains because products aren’t available”), limiting their purchasing and consumption.
Respondents were asked to choose which grain and farming terms they understood and/or were familiar with. Ancient grains, local/regional grains and heirloom grains were familiar and/or understood by the majority of respondents, while heritage grains, small grains, and grainshed were less familiar to respondents (Figure 3).17 Of the list of twenty small grains, over half of respondents have eaten quinoa, rye, flax, barley, and buckwheat, while teff, einkorn, KAMUT®, emmer, upcycled/spent grain and Kernza® are the grains that people are least familiar with.18
The majority of respondents were familiar with and/or understood organic farming, non-GMO farming, crop rotation, and conventional farming. Over half of all respondents were unfamiliar with and/or did not understand the terms landrace and commodity farming.19
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When asked whether they had prepared or consumed meals as part of any of the listed diets in the last year, 58% or more respondents reported trying one of the diets or eating patterns.20 Vegetarianism and plant-based diet were consistently listed as the top dietary patterns tried by respondents, with intermittent fasting in 2021 and 2022 replaced by vegan as a top dietary pattern for 2023. It is important to note that respondents could select an answer based on having “prepared or consumed meals as part of any of the following diets.” As a result, how strictly or for what duration respondents follow these dietary patterns is unclear. Respondents were also able to provide qualitative answers, with many listing additional dietary patterns or options, including themes such as eating minimally processed food, avoiding diet patterns or fad diets altogether, decreasing meat consumption overall (“gradual reduction in animal products overall”), eating meals prepared at home, eating an omnivorous diet, eating a balanced variety of foods with a focus on nutrition ("I don’t necessarily follow a specific diet. I eat moderately, mostly vegetables, and try to consume as many whole grains as possible"), eating organic, growing food at home (“we grow as much of our own food as possible”), and eating locally sourced, fresh ingredients.
The 2023 survey showed that respondents are most frequently looking for organic, non-GMO, and cruelty-free certifications when they are considering purchasing products (Figure 4). Conversely, kosher, gluten free, and vegan certifications have minimal impact on consumer purchasing habits for a majority of respondents.
Before the pandemic, Whole Foods and chain supermarkets were the main shopping locations used by respondents; during the pandemic, respondents switched to the following shopping methods: grocery store delivery services, online marketplaces, online directly from the brand, and meal kit delivery services.21 Post-pandemic in 2023, respondents reported shopping primarily at farmers’ markets and local independent grocers or co-ops with low meal kit or grocery delivery service usage, likely a reflection of survey respondent demographics. Respondents were asked to elaborate on how their shopping habits changed due the pandemic including the shopping habits respondents used after the pandemic. The following themes were developed from common responses to these open-ended questions. Frequency of responses listed next to the theme, along with a sample quote:22
Between 2021-2023, the majority of respondents (>75%) reported eating gluten all or some of the time, specifically with 97% of 2023 respondents eating gluten some or all of the time (Figure 5).23
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There was an overall decreasing trend of gluten avoidance across all three survey years, with 17% of respondents reporting avoiding gluten in 2021, 16% in 2022, and 13% in 2023.23 In 2023, of the 13% of respondents that said they limit or avoid gluten, only about 5% reported being diagnosed with celiac disease. In all 2021-2023 respondents, those who reported celiac disease ranged from 0.01-1.2% of the total respondent population, which is less than or in alignment with the estimated prevalence of celiac disease in the general American population (1.33%).24 The following themes were developed from responses to the open-ended questions. Frequency of response is listed next to the theme, along with a sample quote:
The majority of survey respondents were female, aged 30-65 years old, white/caucasian, and possessed a bachelor’s degree. Most respondents reported being in the married/partner category; about 50% reported having households with children, with roughly half of these households having children 18 years old and older. Each survey year showed a trend in the primary respondent locations: Chicago, IL in 2021; Madison, WI in 2022; and Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN in 2023.25 A notable demographic trend was that in each consecutive year of the survey, an increasing number of respondents indicated current or past employment in fields related to food and agriculture or closely linked sectors (2021: 19%; 2022: 38%, 2023: 48%) (Figure 6).26 This may influence the overall survey responses, as respondents employed in these sectors are likely to have greater familiarity with and exposure to grains and agricultural terms compared to those not working in these areas.
Consumers play a crucial role in the grain value chain. Gaining insight into their knowledge and habits about grains is essential for future development of effective education strategies and engagement efforts. Regional grain farmers, processors, end-users and advocates rely strongly on relationships and may regularly gather anecdotal insights through direct one-on-one conversations with their customers.
This aggregated view of consumer grain knowledge, preferences, and habits is a complementary tool towards a deeper understanding of how to best expand the presence of regional grains. With increased engagement and understanding of the value of diversified grains on the Upper Midwest agricultural landscape, we may ultimately see increased demand among regional grain consumers, thereby sustaining more acres of regeneratively grown grain in the region, and increasing resilience throughout the grain value chain.
[1] Q1 - About how many days a week do you eat grains?
[2] Q5 - What is your number one reason for buying products that contain regional grains?
[3] Q6 - How much do these issues matter to you when purchasing grains? (Select all that apply)
[4] Q2 - Which of these words are familiar and/or make sense to you? (Select all that apply)
[5] Q3 - How familiar are you with these grains?(Select all that apply)
[6] Q7 - In the last year, have you prepared or consumed meals aspart of any of the following diets? (Select all that apply)
[7] Q12 - Food Shopping Habits… Please indicate your shopping habits before, at peak, now, and going forward. (Select allthat apply)
[8] Q8 - I’m more likely to buy something if it’s certified… (Select all that apply)
[9] Q10 - Do you eat gluten? & Q11 - Why do you limit or avoid grain consumption?
[10] Q14 - Age; Q15 - Gender; Q17 - Relationship status; Q18 - Education (highest degree completed); Q19 - Which of these describes you?; Q20 - Do you have kids?; Q21 - If you have kids, how old are they?
[11] Q22 - Do you work in the food or agriculture sectors?
[12] Q1 -About how many days a week do you eat grains?
[13] Q5 - What is your number one reason for buying products that contain regional grains?
[14] Q6 - How much do these issues matter to you when purchasing grains? (Select all that apply)
[15] Q5 - What is your number one reason for buying products that contain regional grains?
[16] Q5 - What is your number one reason for buying products that contain regional grains?
[17] Q2 - Which of these words are familiar and/or make sense to you? (Select all that apply)
[18] Q3 - How familiar are you with these grains?
[19] Q2 - Which of these words are familiar and/or make sense to you? (Select all that apply)
[20] Q7 - In the last year, have you prepared or consumed meals as part of any of the following diets? (Select all that apply)
[21] Q12 - Food Shopping Habits… Please indicate your shopping habits before, at peak, now, and going forward. (Select all that apply)
[22] Q13. If your shopping habits changed during the pandemic, can you elaborate? What's working, what's not?
[23] Q10 - Do you eat gluten? & Q11 - Why do you limit or avoid grain consumption?
[24] Rubio-Tapia A, Ludvigsson JF, Brantner TL, Murray JA, Everhart JE. The prevalence of celiac disease in the United States. Am J Gastroenterol. 2012 Oct;107(10):1538-44; quiz 1537, 1545. doi: 10.1038/ajg.2012.219. Epub 2012 Jul31. PMID: 22850429.
[25] Q16 - Zip Code.
[26] Q22 - Do you work in the food or agriculture sectors?
Suggested citation:
Schulz, R., Byrne, E., Hartman, A. Artisan Grain Collaborative. Regional Consumer Perspectives: Grain Views & Habits Survey Data Analysis Report. Artisan Grain Collaborative. 2024.