America's Heartland Stays the Course

In a comparison of Los Angeles and Wichita, it turns out that consumers in California are more sensitive to foodborne illness.

Not, like, sensitive as in getting sick from it, but sensitive as in more aware of it and actively trying to avoid it. Food recalls had more of an effect on customer purchasing habits in California than they did in Kansas. It was interesting to note that a hypothetical outbreak of bird flu in Montana would have affected the purchases of California consumers more than it would have affected their counterparts in Kansas (by 20%).

It wasn't a surprise that California residents ate more vegetables while Kansas residents ate more meat. Also, Kansas would rather have cheaper meat that was treated with antibiotics, while California would prefer their meat to be antibiotic-free.