The trend: Cost, not diet or nutrition, sways most consumers' food purchase decisions, according to a June Ipsos poll of 1,084 US adults.

Digging into the details: Nearly half of consumers (48%) are adjusting their food-buying habits—everything from the size of their purchases to how often they shop.

Budget is influencing consumers to:

• Buy larger sizes or in bulk. Among those doing so, 31% cite budget changes, while 6% point to diet changes.
• Buy smaller portion sizes. 25% do this for cost reasons compared with 19% who made the decision based on their diet.
• Change food purchase frequency. 37% do so because their budget changed, versus 10% for diet reasons.

The one exception: When it comes to making fresh food purchases, dietary changes (35%) are a much more common driver than budget changes (16%).

Why it matters: Inflation is easing, but value remains the dominant lens through which consumers shop as food costs continue to pressure household budgets. Groceries now rank as US adults’ second-biggest affordability challenge: 51% of US consumers are struggling to afford groceries, just behind gas (52%), per a Harris Poll survey conducted for The Guardian in June. Price increases across most food and beverage categories are fueling that pressure.

However, health still matters to food shoppers, just not as much as cost. While price influences changes in purchase frequency and quantities, 79% of US adults regularly check nutrition labels when grocery shopping, per a March International Food Information Council (IFIC) survey.

Implications for food sellers and retailers: Marketers and brands should expect consumers to continually rebalance affordability and health priorities as economic conditions and household finances fluctuate. Pricing, pack-size strategy, and value messaging will often have a greater impact on purchase behavior than nutrition-focused marketing alone. But health considerations won't disappear: the strong link between dietary changes and fresh food purchases shows that wellness still drives growth in fresh categories, giving brands an opening to pair affordability with products that support evolving dietary preferences.