Imagine you’re in the aisle of your favorite grocery store, faced with hundreds of the latest products on the market. After picking a box of your favorite pasta, you spot a new organic version of the spaghetti sauce you usually buy. Surprisingly, this sauce is nearly 50 percent more expensive than your usual choice. Here we go again, you think: buying “healthy” products means spending more. If this reflects your thoughts on the connection between food health and cost, you’re not alone. This belief is so common that tips on eating healthy on a budget are everywhere, suggesting that many people find this task challenging.
Who hasn’t heard Whole Foods’ nickname, “Whole Paycheck,” or noticed the cheap prices on unhealthy fast food? Evaluating the relationship between health and food price is indeed complex, as it can be assessed in numerous ways, such as price per calorie or average portion cost. How widespread is the view that “healthy = expensive,” and why do consumers think this way? A series of studies in the Journal of Consumer Research showed that consumers generally believe healthy foods are more costly. While this may only be true for some product categories, many believe it applies across all categories, regardless of evidence. Consumers seem to hold an intuition that healthy foods are pricier. Discussions on food deserts – low-income areas with limited access to affordable nutritious foods – similarly suggest that healthy foods cost more than unhealthy ones. The market and media seem to have conditioned most U.S. consumers to expect health-enhancing foods to be expensive. Although this is sometimes true (e.g., the USDA reports premiums for organic foods), a general positive link between price and health doesn’t always exist. A lay theory, in psychology, refers to a nonexpert’s belief about the workings of the world.
We can have lay theories about diverse topics from self-control to intelligence. These lay theories influence our behaviors. Consumers also hold lay theories about food, like believing unhealthy options taste better, whether or not this is objectively true. Our research uncovered a new lay theory: consumers believe healthy foods are more expensive. Unlike other studies exploring a true relationship between food health and cost, we focused on how this belief, regardless of its truth, affects food choices. Across five studies, we found that even in categories where price and health aren’t linked, consumers’ “healthy = expensive” intuition impacts their decisions. We explored further: Do higher prices make consumers think something is healthier? Or do health cues lead consumers to perceive higher prices? Our studies revealed it works both ways. In one study, consumers’ healthiness perceptions of a breakfast bar varied with price: higher price = healthier, and vice versa. Similarly, when nutrition graded a bar an “A-,” akin to scores from CalorieCount.com, it was seen as costlier than when graded “C.” In another study, choosing between two similar chicken wraps depended on price: a $8.95 “Roasted Chicken Wrap” was judged healthier than a $6.95 “Chicken Balsamic Wrap” and vice versa. People preferred more expensive options, thinking they were healthier. Another study showed that products challenging “healthy = expensive” beliefs, claimed healthy yet lower-priced in their category, led to more scrutiny before accepting generic health claims.
For instance, participants seeing a $0.99 protein bar (average being $2) reviewed over three online opinions before deciding on purchase intent, compared to two reviews when priced at $4. It took more convincing when the price seemed too low for health claims. The “healthy = expensive” belief extends beyond general inferences about price and health. In another study, consumers used this intuition for valuing an unfamiliar ingredient in food. We asked participants about DHA’s importance – touted to combat vision loss from macular degeneration – in trail mix. A premium-priced DHA mix led participants to value DHA and the health condition more, while at average pricing, they were less convinced. The unfamiliarity of DHA fueled these inferences, unlike familiar vitamin A, where price premiums didn’t change perceived importance. This suggests people rely on lay theories for unfamiliar health claims – common at grocery stores due to new products with touted health ingredients. Our findings highlight a pervasive consumer tendency to link healthier foods with higher costs. For those on an unlimited budget, this isn’t an issue.
However, those managing a food budget may overpay for nutrition despite accessible pricing and nutrition details. What’s the takeaway for consumers? We know price and quality don’t perfectly align, yet we still use price to judge quality without other information. If you’re concerned about choosing healthy foods without overspending, pause when you see a health claim with a high price. Instead of relying on gut instincts, seek more information before buying.