Data Results - Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability (CFDAS)

thumbnail of chart for Sept. 18, 2025 Data Snapshot.

Consumer values hold firm in a changing food landscape

Since 2022, taste, affordability and nutrition have consistently dominated consumers’ purchasing decisions at the grocery store, according to our CFI survey data.

Chart showing the top barriers consumers cite to eating healthier foods

Perceived cost and taste hinder healthy food choices for many

Data Snapshot

Topic: Healthy Foods

A recent CFI survey finds that of those Americans who wish to improve their diets, 71% are not doing so. This Data Snapshot shows the most common barriers preventing consumers from eating healthier.

Thumbnail of graph showing consumer estimages and expectations for food inflation.

Consumers adjusting expectations for future food prices as food inflation experiences a modest increase from fall 2024

Data Snapshot

Topic: Prices

How have consumer estimates and expectations for food inflation evolved over time? This week’s Snapshot provides insight into data from January 2022 to August 2025.

thumbnail image of chart showing food away from home spending by income.

Dining Dollars: Income Shapes Where We Eat Out

Data Snapshot

Topic: Consumer Spending

As income increases, where people spend their Food Away from Home (FAFH) dollars shifts.

Chart showing percentage consumers who would choose "healthy" labeled bread based on five different premium prices.

How much more would consumers pay for “healthy” sliced bread?

Data Snapshot

Topic: Consumer Preferences

A recent CFDAS survey explored this question and found 77% of participants would choose bread labeled “healthy” when it costs the same as regular bread — but the share of consumers choosing the “healthy” option declined as the premium increased.

Chart showing frequency consumers check food labels based on diet quality.

Estimated Diet Quality Correlates with Frequency of Checking Nutrition Labels

Data Snapshot

Topic: Nutrition

42% of healthy eaters always check nutrition labels compared to only 18% in the unhealthy group when grocery shopping. What does this tell us? The Data Snapshot offers insight.

Thumbnail of a chart showing consumers' agreement or disagreement with statement about easy access to healthy foods, by diet quality classification.

CFI Shows Availability of Healthy Food Doesn’t Guarantee Healthy Diets

Data Snapshot

Topic: Consumer Spending

Does easy access to healthy foods correspond to better diets? The latest Data Snapshot suggests there’s more than access at play in consumers’ food choices.

Food-at-Home Spending Jumps in May 2025

Data Snapshot

Topic: Consumer Spending

This week we feature CFDAS data on weekly household food expenditure from Jan. 2022 through June 2025 and highlight two patterns.

Consumers associate “healthy” food labels with traditional nutritional attributes and minimal processing

Data Snapshot

Topic: Consumer Spending

When food products are marketed as “healthy,” what qualities do consumers expect that they have?

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