Battle of the Grocery Aisles: How America’s Top Chains Stack Up on Processed Food Options
An analysis of over 50,000 food products has revealed dramatic differences in the availability of minimally processed foods across America’s major grocery chains, with some stores offering few alternatives to ultra-processed options in popular food categories.
The research, published January 13 in Nature Food, provides unprecedented insight into the processed food landscape across Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods, using advanced machine learning to score products based on their degree of processing.
“There are a lot of mixed messages about what a person should eat. Our work aims to create a sort of translator to help people look at food information in a more digestible way,” said Giulia Menichetti, PhD, lead researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Channing Division of Network Medicine.
Stark Differences Between Chains
The analysis revealed that while Whole Foods typically offers a wider range of minimally processed options, Walmart and Target’s selections in many categories are predominantly ultra-processed. For example, in the cereal aisle, Whole Foods customers can choose from products across the processing spectrum, while Walmart’s options are largely limited to highly processed varieties.
The study found particularly concerning patterns in everyday staples like soups, yogurt drinks, and milk alternatives, where some stores offered virtually no minimally processed options. Even more striking, in categories like pizza and popcorn, all three chains primarily stocked highly processed versions.
Price and Processing Connection
The research also uncovered a troubling economic dimension: across most food categories, more heavily processed foods tend to be cheaper per calorie. The researchers found that for every 10% increase in processing score, there was an 8.7% decrease in price per calorie across all foods studied.
This price difference was even more dramatic in certain categories. For soups and stews, the most processed options were nearly 68% cheaper per calorie than their minimally processed counterparts, potentially influencing consumer choices based on economic constraints.
Tools for Consumer Choice
To help consumers navigate these choices, the researchers have made their database publicly accessible through a website called TrueFood.tech. The platform allows users to look up specific products and find less processed alternatives within the same category.
“When people hear about the dangers of ultra-processed foods, they ask, ‘OK, what are the rules? How can we apply this knowledge?'” Menichetti explained. “We are building tools to help people implement changes to their diet based on information currently available about food processing.”
Broader Implications
The findings come at a critical time, as research increasingly links ultra-processed food consumption to health issues including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. The database could help inform both consumer choices and policy decisions about food accessibility.
The researchers acknowledge that their current data, while detailed, represents just a snapshot from three major chains. They plan to expand their analysis to include geographic variations in food options and track changes over time, potentially revealing how food processing availability relates to health outcomes across different communities.
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, and the European Research Council, though one of the researchers, Albert-László Barabási, disclosed founding roles in several health-focused companies including Scipher Medicine and Naring Health.
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