Thirty-four percent of American consumers said money worries had made them skip meals or eat smaller portions during the past year. That is a 7 percentage point rise since December and the largest movement between readings since dunnhumby’s Consumer Trends Tracker began four years ago.
The pressure is reaching households that might once have seemed insulated. Among families earning $50,000 – $100,000, 31% reported not having enough food, compared with 19% in December. For people aged 65 and over, the figure nearly doubled to 17%.
Jamie Samaha, dunnhumby’s chief executive, described a rapid deterioration: “American shoppers are under more financial pressure than at any time since we started tracking them in 2022, and it’s building fast.”
Paying for an emergency
Food is only one part of the strain. The tracker found 64% of shoppers would have difficulty covering an unexpected $400 expense, also 7 percentage points higher than in December. Among seniors, financial insecurity climbed 16 points to 46%; among middle-income households, it rose 11 points to 60%.
The burden was greatest among households below $50,000 and adults aged 35-44, both at 76%. The readings were 74% for people aged 45-54 and 72% for those aged 18-34.
Working-age adults also dominated the food-security figures. Some 39% of respondents aged 18-34 and 43% aged 35-54 said they lacked enough to eat. The same 43% was recorded among households earning less than $50,000, while 39% of families with children at home reported the problem.
Prices and assistance
Several costs have moved in the same direction. Food-at-home prices stand 12.4% above their May 2022 level, with 10.2% of that increase occurring during 2022 and not subsequently reversing. AAA said petrol stayed above $4.00 a gallon for much of the year and is now 27% higher than in August 2025.
The Food Research & Action Center’s compilation of USDA figures puts the subsequent fall in SNAP participation at approximately 5.2 million people. That decline followed the 2025 federal budget law. The University of Michigan’s consumer-sentiment reading sits over 20 points beneath its 20-year norm.
Shoppers’ perceptions are even bleaker than the official inflation reading. Respondents estimated food prices had risen 24% over the past year, almost 22 percentage points above the Bureau of Labor Statistics reading of 2.2%. The index tracking food bought for home consumption registered 11.9% in May 2022.
Changing shopping habits
Value is reshaping where people buy groceries. Convenience stores reached 29% of shoppers, up 6pp from the previous wave. Dollar stores rose to 45%, while online pureplay increased 4pp to 24%. Mass merchandisers retained the broadest reach at 79%; traditional supermarkets slipped to 77% and specialty stores to 20%.
Walmart remained the most-used grocery retailer at 72%. The strongest year-on-year gains came from 7-Eleven, Amazon, Dollar General and Dollar Tree.
Loyalty schemes are losing some appeal. Willingness to “identify themselves to earn rewards” fell 4pp to 48%, while 63% favoured stores with low base prices. Online delivery was used most or all of the time by 31% of shoppers, up 6pp, and store-app interaction reached 41%.
Only 22% had used AI shopping tools in the previous month. Price comparison was cited by 44% and finding savings by 40%, but just 25% trusted the technology “mostly or completely”; 32% trusted it “not at all.”
Wave 13 comprised online interviews with 8,500 grocery shoppers in six countries, including 2,000 in the United States, during August 2026. The preceding wave was conducted in December 2025.
Sources
- U.S. Food Insecurity Jumps Most in Over 4 Years: Up 11 Points for Middle-Income Households, and Nearly Doubles for Seniors, dunnhumby Finds – AOL
- U.S. Food Insecurity Jumps Most in Over 4 Years: Up 11 Points for Middle-Income Households, and Nearly Doubles for Seniors, dunnhumby Finds
- U.S. Food Insecurity Jumps Most in Over 4 Years: Up 11 Points for Middle-Income Households, and Nearly Doubles for Seniors, dunnhumby Finds
Photo: Karsten Winegeart / Unsplash (Unsplash License)
