In this article, we will cover the 20 Most Hated Foods in the US according to Reddit. If you want to skip our detailed analysis and head directly to the most disliked foods in the US, go directly to the 7 Most Hated Foods in the US according to Reddit.
While all of us can unanimously agree that food is an integral part of our lives, the nutrients it contains act as fuel for our bodies, providing us with the energy to function throughout the day. But it has always been beyond simple nourishment; it is no less than an experience that brings warmth and joy to our lives. Whether it's the aroma of freshly baked bread or the sizzle of a perfectly seared steak, food has the power to kindle emotions and garner long-lasting memories. A good home-cooked meal shared with those we love is nothing less than a privilege. This is so because the warmth is not only because of the taste and texture but because of the love and hard work that goes behind making each dish.
Not only this, foods around the world are also a fundamental component of cultures across the world. Each country’s culture has its distinct taste and style of presenting food; it becomes a part of its identity. For instance, when one thinks of Turkey, Turkish tea is bound to come across one’s mind. It is a symbol of their hospitality and is one of the main components of socialization there. Similarly, the USA’s culture is popularly associated with junk, fast, and processed foods because of the fast-paced lives individuals tend to live there. Since people are emotionally concerned about food, they are likely to form extreme hatred towards disliked food.
Is social media impacting people’s food choices?
Digital food culture has also emerged in this digital age era, with food images making their way onto our social media. Similarly, culinary topics have become one of the top trending topics on it. If a user were to type in #food right now on their Instagram, around 510M posts would show up with this hashtag only, not including other trending hashtags such as #foodie, #foodporn, etc. Food communities exist across various social media platforms like Reddit where people from all facets of life exchange and share their experiences, preferences, and bond over similar food interests. We have also seen the emergence of food blogging in the past few years where food bloggers post aesthetic pictures of their food and leave reviews about their culinary experiences. These reviews in turn play a vital role in influencing people’s decision about what foods to try and what not to try. Social media, therefore, has started to play a significant part in defining people’s taste palettes. In this article, we will look at people’s opinions on one such social media platform to determine the 20 Most Hated Foods in the US.
How is the US food industry doing amid inflation?
Over the past year, the cost of meals and snacks from limited-service restaurants increased by 7.9% as shown in the inflation data. McDonald’s Corp (NYSE: MCD) is one of the largest food chains in the United States. The weakening of major currencies against US dollars and inflation meant that McDonald’s Corp (NYSE: MCD) had to increase the prices. Customers responded to this by cutting back on items such as McDonald’s Corp (NYSE: MCD) fries with their burgers. Some fast food restaurant customers are also not happy with the recent developments/expectations about tipping (see 20 Countries that Tip the Most).
It seems, however, that consumers are more receptive to price hikes in Snacks as opposed to a complete meal. Mondelez International Inc. (NASDAQ: MDLZ) is the owner of many well-known snack brands around the world, including Cadbury and Oreo. Despite implementing a price hike, its net revenue in the second quarter of the current year climbed by 15.8%. Dirk Van de Put, CEO of Mondelez International Inc. (NASDAQ: MDLZ), sights investment in creative assets as one of the reasons for revenue growth despite price hikes. In addition, some of the innovations by Mondelez International Inc. (NASDAQ: MDLZ), such as low-calorie chocolate bars are also cited as reasons for sustained revenue growth.
A few of the most hated foods in the US according to Reddit users are cheese, salad dressing, and condiments that are produced by companies like The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC). These products made our list not because everyone hates them, but because there are enough people who hate them and complain about these foods on platforms like Reddit. Actually, the demand for The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC)'s products is quite consistent and stable. KHC generated $25 billion in sales in 2019, $26 billion in each of 2020 and 2021, and $26.5 billion in 2022. Its sales is expected to exceed $27 billion in 2023. Given the high inflation rates, the company's topline has been growing less than preferred by its investors. As a result, KHC share price has been hovering around $33 for the last 4 years. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett owns around a quarter of the company. We believe the stock is a promising long-term investment as its trailing P/E is only 13 and the company has been trying to reduce its $19 billion in long-term debt to cut down its $800 million in annual interest payments.
Methodology
20 Most Hated Foods in the US According to Reddit
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To generate our list of the 20 Most Hated Foods in the US according to Reddit, we collected the data in the form of opinions of people in the US on the social media platform, Reddit. People had discussed both the foods that they liked and disliked, however, for this article, we only considered the opinions about the foods that were unpopular among the people in the US. For our list, we used the number of comments and upvotes on several food threads that involved people’s opinions on foods that they hated in the US. The ranking is done based upon the most repeated comments, and the opinions with the highest number of upvotes. Hence, they are our determinants of which foods are unpopular in the US.
20 Most Hated Foods in the US according to Reddit
20 - Pickles
Pickles may be a huge part of burgers in the US, however, it is one of the most hated foods when eaten raw. Redditors say that pickles ruin their salads and sandwiches for them because of their weird smell and texture. A Reddit user wrote: “Pickles are the most vile, disgusting, and repulsive food anyone has ever come up with.” However, there are some pickles that Americans might like to eat such as the cucumber ones but have a strong distaste for okra and Indian pickles.
19 - Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts are not liked by most people living in America, similar to how most people do not like to eat broccoli as a part of their daily diet. They find its taste quite bitter and feel it ruins their dinner for them. Also, some users believe that the way it's cooked is one of the reasons for not liking the vegetable.
18 - Liver
Liver is one of the most hated foods in the US because many people find its texture gross. The way the liver is cooked is different from other forms of meat and may feel a bit chewy or hard if not cooked properly. Moreover, some people do not find its taste as appetizing as any other form of meat.
17 - Anchovies
Anchovies are another canned seafood that some people may like, and some may not. Anchovies have a very strong taste and smell that may push some people away from them. Going through the comments on Reddit regarding American perception of anchovies, we found out there are people who hate them.
16 - Tofu
Tofu is also one of the most hated foods in the US according to Redditors. Users stated that they did not like the texture and taste of tofu once they had it in their mouth. Moreover, most meat lovers have an aversion towards tofu because the latter is a vegan alternative for it, hence they find meat better than it.
15 - Sweet Tea
Sweet tea is a popular drink in the world, especially during the hot summer weather. However, some people on Reddit shared that sweet tea is not a cup of tea. It's too sweet for them and they prefer regular tea over it. A user wrote: "It's just disgusting." While not all Americans hate sweet tea, this item was one of those items that some Americans disliked.
14 - Collard Greens
Collard greens are mostly used in salads and are a very healthy vegetable. However, humans often tend to dislike food that is healthier for them. Some Reddit users complained about the texture of this vegetable and claimed they did not like it. Moreover, collard greens tend to have a bitter taste, hence most users hating the vegetable said that it affected their whole eating experience, especially in the case of salads.
13 - Sushi
Sushi is a widely revered food around the globe because of its unique taste and presentation. However, as per our Reddit research, some people in the US completely hate eating sushi. A user on Reddit wrote: “Sushi is awful and overly hyped.” Another user shared that they feel people claim to like sushi due to peer pressure when in reality they do not like its taste. Vermont and Pennsylvania are examples of two states whose people hate sushi.
12 - Cilantro
Cilantro is a widely used herb in many dishes, while some may like it, however, some people simply cannot stand the taste and smell of it. A user on Reddit: "I dislike several foods but with cilantro, it makes me absolutely disgusted whenever I have it in my mouth." People who don't like cilantro stated that it tastes like soap, and this is something they would definitely not want in their mouth.
11 - Olives
Olives are the joy of a Turkish breakfast table; however, you might be surprised to know that many people living in the US do not like to eat them. Some Americans on Reddit said that they find the flavor of olives a bit too strong for their liking and, hence do not like to have them on their pizzas, in sandwiches, or even as it is. The most common comments were that people cannot stand them at all and they ruin their food for them. A user wrote: “Absolutely vile.”
10 - Spam
Americans have a love-hate relationship with spam, however, many people living in the US do not like spam. One of the reasons they do not like it is because of its texture and salty flavor. Even the look of spam makes them drop the idea of having it. They consider it gross and most of them do not prefer canned meat, which is spam. A Reddit user shared: “Even the thought of it makes me wanna gag.”
9 - Ranch
Another food condiment that most Americans do not like is Ranch. A person on Reddit wrote: "I hate it." Ranch is a bit tangy in taste and has an overpowering flavor which most people do not like. People who do not like ranches say that it kind of overshadows the taste of the food they are eating and, hence cannot fully enjoy it.
8 - Onions
Onions are our 8th most hated food in the US. They may be a huge part of cooking, especially in South Asian cuisine, however, many Americans stated that they do not like the taste of them. One Reddit user stated that they would make their food without onions, and it would taste much better. However, one thing we noticed about this hate for onions was that people hate raw onions more than cooked ones. A Reddit user wrote: “I hate raw onion because the moment I bite into it, they would like to spit it out.”
