Jell-O is so popular among Mormons that the Mormon Corridor region, which has the highest Mormon populations, has been nicknamed the "Jell-O belt"! Salt Lake City has the highest per capita Jell-O consumption, solidifying this stereotype.
To further support this image, Utah declared it the official state snack food in 2001. Utah Legislature gave many reasons to recognize Jell-O, including that Utah had been the highest per capita consumer of Jell-O for many years, and how citizens of Utah had rallied to "Take Back the Title" after Des Moines, Iowa exceeded Utah in Jell-O consumption in 1999.
Bill Cosby said he believed that Jell-O is perfect for families and the people of Utah are all about families and he, as spokesperson for the product, supported the bill. He is associated with Jell-O and, more famously, Jell-O pudding and he appeared in many commercials promoting both.
Jell-O is often served with homemade cookies or cakes and water at LDS Church socials. Many speculative explanations of this stereotype attribute it to Mormons' refusal of alcohol and tobacco. Mormons embraced the stereotype of Jell-O consumption to assert their religious and cultural identity.In 1992, Ivette Bassa won the second ever Ig Nobel Prize in chemistry for inventing blue Jell-O!
