Shop smarter this summer: An ag economist's guide to smarter grocery shopping

By learning how to cut through the hype and focus on what truly matters, you can shop smarter — making healthy, budget-friendly decisions for your family all season Long, says Ellen Van Loo, associate professor in agricultural economics, who studies consumer food choice, decision-making and spending, and how behaviors are shaped by things such as labels, food policy and marketing.

“I’m passionate about transparency for consumers and educating them fully to make the healthiest and best decisions for themselves and their families,” Van Loo said. “Summer is a great time to really focus on shopping smarter for your health and your budget.”

One trending topic that Van Loo notes is eggs.

“Many people struggle to know what it means when something is listed as hormone free or organic, and how they should decide what is worth paying more for,” she said.

Van Loo is excited to see U.S. officials discussing front-of-package labeling to help consumers make more informed decisions with their food.

“We want to make sure that consumers have what they need to make informed decisions. We should provide better tools to help them understand all the characteristics of foods. Consumers are looking at all their options and at pricing, and it’s important that we provide clarity,” she said.

Van Loo explains that front-of-package labeling gives consumers a quick snapshot aisle of key aspects of the product, including sugar and fat content, fiber, protein, and, often, allergens.

“These labels are often a short summary of what is on the back of a product and help the consumer quickly compare multiple items,” Van Loo said. “The most beneficial use of a front label would be a nutrition-specific one so that consumers could quickly measure the present value and get a clear read on items such as sugars or sodium and how much of a daily value a product is meeting.”

Van Loo’s team focuses on helping consumers understand what they are purchasing and how it can meet their specific dietary needs. She said these steps are important for the U.S. market to continue working toward to provide transparency to consumers. Van Loo and her team examine consumer behavior to understand the factors that influence their purchasing decisions. With a rise in online grocery shopping, there is also a need to better support consumers with transparent information and guidance on making healthy choices shopping online.

“We study, for example, how we can best support people with different dietary goals (less salt, less sugar etc.), to see what is driving their decisions and how they could be supported as consumers to make healthier choices.”

Van Loo believes that labeling is just the first step for the American food system.

While the government takes steps to ensure more education and transparency, Van Loo believes that every consumer can also take practical steps in their grocery decision-making to stay on budget and remain health-focused.

1. Compare products side-by-side and focus on what matters to you

“Similar products can vary greatly in nutrition and price. Comparing labels helps consumers get better value. But if consumers focus on what matters to them, it suddenly becomes more manageable,” Van Loo said. “Front-of-package labels that highlight the key target nutrient are helpful in guiding consumers, but this is only for motivated consumers.”

2. Look past marketing claims

Van Loo warns that terms like “natural” or “healthy” can influence buying decisions and allow brands to charge more – even when products are similar nutritionally.

3. Check the serving size

Small serving sizes can make products appear lower in calories, sugar or sodium.

“It’s important to understand the serving size listed is often much smaller than we might actually eat,” Van Loo said.

4. Watch added sugar and sodium

“Highly processed foods often contain more sugar and salt because they are inexpensive ways to strengthen flavor and improve shelf life. It is a bit of a vicious loop: Producers add a lot of salt and sugar as they are cheap ingredients, and then consumers get used to this level of sweetness/saltiness and prefer it this way. This makes it hard to break the cycle, but looking at the health problems we are facing, change is needed,” Van Loo said.

5. Use labels to balance cost and nutrition

Food labels help consumers make decisions that fit both their health goals and grocery budgets. “Don’t get tricked in the store. Do your homework before you go and know what you are buying and what nutrients it contains.”

Van Loo provides a quick tip: Shop the perimeter of the store to find produce, dairy and fresh proteins. This can often help you focus on healthier, less-processed choices. Meanwhile, compare prices on staple items and try generic brands to boost your savings without sacrificing nutrition.