Scientific Sessions 2025  /  Food Insecurity & Cardiometabolic Health: From Evidence to Interventions  /  Rethinking Healthy Grocery Stores: Misalignment Between Shopper Beliefs and Product Nutrition
Logo

American Heart Association

  25
  0

Final ID: Su2109

Rethinking Healthy Grocery Stores: Misalignment Between Shopper Beliefs and Product Nutrition

Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here):
BACKGROUND: Grocery stores are considered the gold standard consumer source for healthful foods and an answer to food deserts. Safeway and especially Whole Foods Market are generally perceived by consumers and branded as providing essential, high-quality, or premium-quality products that support customers' health. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), products are considered healthy based on nutritional amounts of sodium, added sugar, and saturated fat, which contribute to cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Is there a discrepancy between consumer perceptions of food healthiness between Whole Foods and Safeway products? What is the prevalence of healthful products in the Whole Foods Market store?

METHODS: On 4/1/ 2025, we conducted a web scrape of the entire food/beverage inventory (8096 items, including 374 fresh produce) for a Whole Foods Market store (location: zip code 94022). We designated each product item to be healthy if it had any of these: low sodium, low added sugar, or low saturated fats, per the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) recommendations. Concurrently (from 3/15/2025 - 4/15/2025), we digitally surveyed 144 adult residents (1 per household), within 20 miles of the Whole Foods store, on their perceptions of the healthiness of Whole Foods products (versus those of Safeway/Other stores), health beliefs, and grocery shopping behaviors.
RESULTS/DATA: Survey respondents rated Whole Foods’ healthiness more favorably than Safeway’s (3.60 versus 2.89 on Likert scale, 5= healthiest, p<0.001). When asked to choose which is healthier, 60.4% perceived Whole Foods to be healthier than Safeway, while the rest responded “no difference” (p<0.015). Yet, based on the web scrape, a greater proportion of the Whole Foods store products were not healthy (4,451 items, or 54.98%) compared to those classified as healthy (3,645 items, or 45.02%) (p<0.0001).
CONCLUSION:
Despite Whole Foods’ favorable perception as a healthier grocery store option, our results reveal a disconnect between consumers’ perceptions of Whole Foods' healthiness and Whole Foods' objective nutritional value. As such, healthy branded grocery stores– and grocery stores in general– may not be as nutritionally healthy as consumers previously assumed.
  • Lee Liphardt, Samuel  ( Gunn High School , Palo Alto , California , United States )
  • Pillai, Malvika  ( Stanford , Stanford , California , United States )
    • Author Disclosures:
    Samuel Lee Liphardt: DO NOT have relevant financial relationships | Malvika Pillai: No Answer
Meeting Info:

Scientific Sessions 2025

2025

New Orleans, Louisiana

Session Info:

Food Insecurity & Cardiometabolic Health: From Evidence to Interventions

Sunday, 11/09/2025 , 11:30AM - 12:30PM

Abstract Poster Board Session

More abstracts on this topic:
A Clinical Trial of Healthy Food Subsidies and Behavioral Interventions to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Purchasing in an Online Store

Hua Sophia, Klaiman Tamar, Dixon Erica, Volpp Kevin, Putt Mary, Coratti Samantha, White Jenna, Hossain Mohammad, Posner Hannah, Wang Erkuan, Zhu Jingsan, John Aileen

A Meta-analysis of Folic Acid Supplementation Efficacy in Cardiovascular Diseases Prevention.

Calderon Martinez Ernesto, Camacho Davila Karen Fabiola, Pinto-colmenarez Rafael, Arruarana Victor, Arvelaez Pascucci Joanne, Castillo Jaqueline Livier, Alonso Ramirez Angie Carolina, Ghattas Patricia, Giron De Marza Maria, Sosaya Zuñiga Briggitte Solange, Martinez Lilan Jonathan David, Paredes Romero Enrique

You have to be authorized to contact abstract author. Please, Login
Not Available