Americans are shopping in the wrong aisles.
What’s happening: A new report from FoodHealth and NielsenIQ analyzing 210B retail transactions and receipt data from 70K American households found most Americans are buying food that undermines their health.
Scaling down. The average grocery haul ranked 48.9 out of 100. Based on nutrient density and ingredient quality, the scale’s “healthy” mark is considered 88. Weighing it down, 60% of dollars are spent on processed food and drinks.
A clear link, 80% of low scorers have obesity and hypertension, 72% diabetes, and 60% have two or more chronic conditions.
Kids menu. Targeted marketing and convenience culture hit kids the hardest. As children reach school age, salty snack purchases rise 14%, candy climbs 20%, and household health scores plummet.
Price check. Cost is the top-cited barrier to better eating, but the data found little correlation between total spend and health. Despite criticism for subsidizing junk food, SNAP users scored about the same and, in some cases, better than non-SNAP shoppers with the same income.
Bright spot. The healthiest 10% of foods (just 6–7% of what’s stocked) is growing 14% faster than the rest of the shelf — signaling a slow but meaningful shift toward better choices.
Looking ahead: Swapping three of the lowest-scoring items per trip for the highest could lift the national average to 69 — a reminder that starting small could create systemic change.
