Do you turn up your nose at weirdly shaped tomatoes at your local farmers market in favor of beautifully round specimens at your nearby supermarket? Do you steer clear of carrots with "legs" or squarish strawberries, opting instead for Instagram-worthy beauties?
Your feelings about imperfect fruits and vegetables – distinctly "different" in shape, color or texture – just might align with your political ideology.
It boils down to one's willingness to veer from expectations, explains Associate Professor Jayati Sinha of the department of marketing and logistics at FIU Business. Learn more in the video.
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Your preference for perfectly shaped fruits and vegetables might be linked to your political beliefs. Researchers at Florida International University found that people who are okay with buying mutant eggplants, deformed bell peppers, and squarish strawberries are more likely to lean liberal, while those who prefer the flawless specimens tend to be more conservative.
The researchers looked at 400 people who either self-identified as liberal or conservative, or tested themselves on measures of political ideology. They found a correlation between an individual's political leanings and a willingness, or lack thereof, to purchase odd-looking produce.
"It boils down to one's willingness to veer from expectations," the researchers explain. "When it comes to fruits and vegetables, consumers expect something aesthetically pleasing. Any deviation then represents a change from the baseline and gives rise to uncertainty," which, in this case, brings into question aspects such as taste and nutritional benefits. "To be accepting of a departure from the norm," the investigators write in the scientific journal Appetite, "requires an openness to new experiences that is more likely a liberal than a conservative response." Neither approach to the produce aisle is right or wrong, they caution.
The study was prompted by an interest in helping retailers devise strategies for reducing food waste. But now you can tell how your neighbors are voting just by looking in their grocery carts.