{"id":28339,"date":"2025-08-12T17:47:34","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T17:47:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=28339"},"modified":"2025-08-12T17:56:33","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T17:56:33","slug":"__trashed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/__trashed\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Dollar Stores\u2019 Food Options May Not Be Harming American Diets: New Study"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A new study from Tufts University reveals that although dollar stores sell less nutritious food, American families manage to maintain a balanced diet by purchasing healthier items elsewhere.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Using dollar stores for grocery shopping is a common practice among Americans, especially those looking to save money, according to researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine, the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, and the USDA Economic Research Service. Their multi-year study, <a href=\"https:\/\/linkinghub.elsevier.com\/retrieve\/pii\/S2212267225005088\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> n the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, examines the impact of dollar stores on American diets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The study analyzed food purchases from 180,000 households across the United States between 2008 and 2020. Leveraging the USDA&#8217;s Economic Research Service&#8217;s Purchase to Plate Crosswalk tool, the researchers were able to estimate the dietary quality of these purchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Calories from dollar store items have nearly doubled, increasing from 3.4% to 6.5% of household food purchases, with a notable rise among lower-income families and those led by people of color. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, households still obtain the majority of their calories from other outlets, averaging over 90% from grocery and club stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe literature suggests that people go to different types of stores for different reasons and the dollar store is one that people choose because of the price advantage,\u201d first author Wenhui Feng, the Tufts Health Plan Professor of Health Care Policy Research and an assistant professor of public health and community medicine at the School of Medicine, said in a news release. \u201cThere are a lot of concerns that foods on dollar store shelves are less healthy, but what\u2019s on the shelf does not equal what each household takes home. Our study looks at how healthy the foods purchased in dollar stores are and compares that with the healthfulness of each household\u2019s overall food purchases.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dollar stores, having rapidly expanded to over 37,000 locations nationwide, particularly in the South and rural areas, have transformed the retail landscape. While these stores offer a variety of products including high-calorie, low-nutrient packaged foods, only a small number carry fresh produce or meats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite concerns about the public health implications of their food offerings, competition with local businesses, and security challenges due to reported understaffing, there remains a need for more comprehensive research on their impact. Some local governments have imposed policies to limit their expansion, yet the effectiveness of these measures is still uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The study confirms that food items from dollar stores are less healthy compared to those from other retailers. However, grocery stores still account for 55% of households&#8217; non-restaurant calories, with club stores contributing another 22%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSome people seem to be going to dollar stores strategically to buy sweets and snacks, along with other packaged foods,\u201d added senior author Sean Cash, the Bergstrom Foundation Professor in Global Nutrition and chair of the Division of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the Friedman School. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:19px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/now.tufts.edu\/2025\/08\/11\/dollar-stores-food-options-may-not-be-hurting-american-diets-overall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Tufts University<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Using dollar stores for grocery shopping is a common practice among Americans, especially those looking to save money, according to researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine, the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, and the USDA Economic Research Service. Their multi-year study, published n the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,20],"tags":[108],"class_list":["post-28339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-food-nutrition","category-lifestyle","tag-tufts-university"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Using dollar stores for grocery shopping is a common practice among Americans, especially those looking to save money, according to researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine, the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, and the USDA Economic Research Service. Their multi-year study, published n the&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28339"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28349,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28339\/revisions\/28349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}