Good news for bargain hunters! A recent study found that shopping at dollar stores, while generally offering less healthy food options, doesn’t significantly harm overall diets of customers.
Researchers from Tufts University and the USDA-Economic Research Service looked at how nearly 200,000 American families shop for food. They discovered that more people, especially those with lower incomes, are turning to dollar stores. Surprisingly, the quality of their diets isn’t very different from those who don’t shop there.
Dollar stores have popped up all over the U.S. in the last few decades, especially in small towns. They have changed how local economies work. The researchers aimed to understand how these stores have influenced our eating habits.
By analyzing data from American households, they found that the share of calories coming from dollar store food rose from 3.4% in 2008 to 6.5% in 2020. Consumers, particularly those in rural areas and communities of color, were more likely to shop there.
Other studies show that dollar store foods are typically less healthy. These stores often lack fresh produce, focusing instead on snacks and processed items. Yet, the overall diet quality didn’t vary much between frequent dollar store shoppers and those who never shopped there. For instance, shoppers who avoided dollar stores had a healthy eating score of 50.5, compared to 46.3 for regular dollar store shoppers. Despite this difference, most of their calories still came from other sources.
The findings reveal that the impact of dollar stores on health is more complex than it seems. Households seem to balance their purchases, buying healthier food elsewhere. According to senior researcher Sean Cash, an economist at Tufts, “While consumers may buy unhealthy items at dollar stores, they might be compensating with better choices at other locations.”
Some communities have taken steps to restrict dollar store expansions, but this research suggests that we need to study their impact more closely. As Cash noted, “We need more data on the real effects of dollar stores on healthy eating, as some communities may be putting the policy cart before the horse.”
As more families turn to these stores, it’s essential to understand how this affects not just our health but also local economies and community well-being. While dollar stores offer cheap options, recognizing the balance in food choices can lead to healthier outcomes overall.
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