The High Cost of Ditching Processed Food

Five years after resolving to dodge ultra-processed foods, one San Diego family has a full spreadsheet—and a much bigger grocery bill—to show for it. Writing in the Guardian, Jen Sherman describes how learning about how ultra-processed foods are engineered and marketed pushed her to overhaul her family's habits. They swapped boxed staples and frozen nuggets for homemade stock, yogurt, ice cream, sauces, and baked goods, much of it sourced from farmers' markets and higher-quality producers. The shift, she writes, wasn't just about nutrition but a growing unease with how modern food is designed and sold. "It all started to feel like a great big con."

Sherman's data tell a mixed story. Spending on cereal, yogurt, protein bars, and frozen chicken tenders plunged; outlays on butter, sugar, produce, and higher-welfare meat soared, with her family's total annual grocery costs climbing from about $6,200 in 2019 to more than $15,500 in 2025. Inflation played a role, but so did a deliberate shift toward better ingredients and more cooking from scratch—along with significantly more time in the kitchen. Experts she consults stress the trade-offs: Ultra-processed foods are linked to poorer health, but they're also cheap, fast, and often essential for families strapped for cash and time. "We have to remember that UPFs are affordable, accessible and time-saving, which makes them a necessity for many families," said food policy advocate Bettina Elias Siegel.