Why do white and black Americans tend to buy more frozen prepared meals?

I work as a cashier in a very low income but diverse area of my city and I've noticed that people from different backgrounds tend to buy similar things, I'm not too knowledgeable on other cultures except for my own (Hispanic). Here are some things I've noticed different backgrounds tend to buy:

White Americans - frozen prepared meals, lots of cookies and Hostess treats, seasoning packets, OTC meds, also pretty much the only demographic that I've seen buys wine

Black Americans - frozen prepared meals, sweet treats, lots and lots of chips, red meats

African immigrant families - chocolate (up to 15~ chocolate bars at times), lots of dental hygiene stuff, many fruits

Latin American immigrant families - lots and lots of produce, mainly vegetables, chicken (whole, legs, breasts, etc.), a lot of soda 12-packs or 24-packs and juice in a 24-pack

Asian immigrant families - Lots of red meat, chicken, and vegetables and never frozen meals

I understand that this comes from cultural differences but I would like to understand the why, if someone could answer for their own background. For example, coming from a Mexican immigrant family, I understand that they tend to cook from scratch, down to the seasoning. Many that I know are diabetic or come from diabetic families so that explains the high soda consumption ?

But I'm just curious on why the rest buy what they buy. I also notice many behavioral patterns, but I might make a different post because I like to go in depth.

Posted Apr 5, 2026, 2:47 AM UTC

501233
Loading comments…