Should dollar stores increase their grocery selection?

Purdue University’s most recent "Consumer Food Insights" report indicates that consumers want more fresh food offerings from dollar stores — over half of those polled. Nearly 60% of those polled live within 10 minutes of a dollar store.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, only 11% of respondents who shop at dollar stores purchased fresh fruit and vegetables over the past 30 days. Most of the buys went towards snack foods (39%), canned foods (23%) and frozen foods (20%).

When it comes to organic, respondents said fruit and vegetables are the most popular, but only one-third of those polled said they often or always go with organic.

“Since organics are not purchased that often, we can say that people are likely overstating how often they select these foods,” economist and report co-author Sam Polzin said. “Since organics have one of the largest halos with regards to nutrition, naturalness and the environment, social desirability bias is probably a common factor contributing to this phenomenon.”

The current economy also continues to be a burden on families. Of those surveyed for the report, 40% said they rely on food aid and 80% indicated they are living paycheck to paycheck.

“[Those consumers] also have a much more negative view toward their own diets, which we might expect would have a cumulative negative effect on overall well-being,” Polzin said in the release. “They eat at home more often, prefer generic brands, and aren’t buying more expensive products like wild-caught fish or organics as much.”

Related:Dollar stores pose increasing threat: report