Food insecurity jumps 7 points as shoppers seek dependable value

By Nathan Brooks

One in three U.S. consumers—34%—said they skipped meals or cut meal sizes in the past year for financial reasons, up 7 percentage points since December 2025. dunnhumby’s Wave 13 Consumer Trends Tracker recorded the largest increase between surveys in its four-year history. Not a rounding error.

Middle-income households earning $50,000 to $100,000 posted the sharpest increase: 31% reported not having enough to eat, up from 19% in December. Consumers 65 and older had the second-largest rise, nearly doubling to 17%.

Working-age shoppers remain the hardest hit, dunnhumby found. The rate reached 39% among ages 18-34 and 43% among ages 35-54. It also reached 43% among households earning less than $50,000 and 39% among families with children at home.

Jamie Samaha, CEO of dunnhumby, said: “American shoppers are under more financial pressure than at any time since we started tracking them in 2022, and it’s building fast,

Nearly two in three would struggle to cover a surprise $400 expense, and more than a third have skipped or cut meals for financial reasons. Both are the highest levels we’ve recorded, and both rose seven points in just eight months.”

The external pressures are measurable. SNAP participation has fallen by approximately 5.2 million people since the 2025 federal budget law took effect, according to USDA data compiled by the Food Research & Action Center.

dunnhumby reported food-at-home costs 12.4% higher than in May 2022. Gas prices have hovered above $4 a gallon for most of the year, according to AAA. University of Michigan consumer sentiment sits more than 20 points below its 20-year average.

Financial pressure hits a study high

Financial insecurity hit a study high, according to dunnhumby. Sixty-four percent would struggle to cover an unexpected $400 expense, up 7 percentage points since December.

• Seniors’ rate rose 16 points to 46%, while the middle-income rate rose 11 points to 60%.
• The rate reached 76% among households earning less than $50,000 and among adults ages 35-44.

Shoppers’ perception far outran the arithmetic. They believed food prices rose 24% over the past year, nearly 22 percentage points above the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2.2% reading. dunnhumby called 24% the highest perceived food inflation since 2022.

Where shoppers are changing course

dunnhumby’s Wave 13 found:

• Convenience stores posted the largest gain among formats, used by 29% of shoppers, up 6 points from the prior wave.
• Dollar stores grew for a fourth straight wave to 45%, while online pure-plays rose to 24%.
• Mass merchandisers kept the widest reach at 79%. Traditional supermarkets drew 77% and specialty stores 20%, the only formats to decline in the wave.
• Walmart remained the most-shopped grocery retailer at 72%. The fastest year-over-year risers were 7-Eleven, Amazon, Dollar General and Dollar Tree.
• Willingness to identify themselves to earn rewards fell 4 points to 48%, the largest drop in any behavior this wave. Shopping at stores with low base prices rose to 63%.
• Online delivery reached a tracker high: 31% order groceries for delivery most or all of the time, up 6 points. App interaction reached a record 41%, and pickup stood at 23%. Delivery use reached 43% among both shoppers ages 35-44 and households with children.

AI’s grocery role remains more useful than trusted. In the past month, 22% used AI tools for grocery shopping, mainly to compare prices (44%) and find savings (40%). Only 25% trust AI mostly or completely, while 32% do not trust it at all.

Survey scope

For Wave 13, dunnhumby surveyed 8,500 grocery shoppers in six countries in the Americas, including 2,000 in the U.S. Online interviews took place in August. The customer data science company works with retailers and brands including Tesco, Walmart Data Ventures, Meijer, Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble.

What does this change for retailers?

The practical answer is clear: make low prices dependable, and use convenience and delivery to meet shoppers where they are. Loyalty still has an audience, but fewer than half of shoppers are willing to identify themselves for rewards. The survey narrows the assignment for marketers.

Samaha added: “More and more, shoppers want a low price they can trust every day, not just one they have to hunt for. The retailers and brands that deliver it will earn their loyalty.”

The next survey will test whether dependable low prices can reverse the loyalty decline. For now, shoppers are making meals smaller as food-at-home costs rise. The math is unforgiving.