New Tech Guides Healthier, Affordable Grocery Choices

A tool that combines real-time store prices, nutrition data, and personal dietary goals helps shoppers make smarter choices in the aisle.

Apr. 10, 2026 at 2:08am

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A highly detailed, glowing 3D illustration of a virtual shopping cart filled with various grocery items, including fresh produce, dairy products, and packaged goods, all illuminated by neon cyan and magenta lights. The cart is suspended in a dark, futuristic environment, symbolizing the intersection of technology and healthy, affordable food choices.A tech-driven tool that combines real-time prices, nutrition data, and personal goals aims to help shoppers make healthier and more affordable grocery choices.Notre Dame Today

Researchers have developed a new tech-driven tool that is changing how people shop for groceries, especially in communities where healthy food can be hard to access. The Food Information System combines real-time store prices, nutrition data, and personal dietary goals to help shoppers make smarter choices in the aisle, recognizing that grocery decisions are a balancing act between cost, nutrition, and personal preferences.

Why it matters

This research is important because by capturing how choices interact, the tool offers more realistic, practical recommendations that reflect how people actually shop. The findings highlight a key shift: technology can support not just what people buy, but how they think about food.

The details

In an eight-week study with participants from a low-income community, the tool did more than just suggest items - it helped users feel more informed and in control of their decisions. Participants were more likely to choose recommended staple foods like fruits, vegetables, dairy, and proteins, while preferences for snacks and sweets were harder to change. While overall diet scores remained largely unchanged, participants reported greater nutritional awareness and more intentional shopping habits, key indicators of long-term behavior change.

  • The research will be presented on April 15, 2026 at the Association for Computing Machinery CHI conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Barcelona.

The players

Tawanna Dillahunt

Professor at the U-M School of Information and study co-author.

Annalisa Szymanski

Doctoral student at Notre Dame and lead author of the study.

Heather Eicher-Miller

Co-author from Purdue University.

Jeongwon Jo, Michelle Sawwan, Ann-Marie Conrado, Danielle Wood, and Ronald Metoyer

Co-authors from the University of Notre Dame.

University of Michigan

One of the institutions that developed the Food Information System.

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What they’re saying

“Most designers assume people want decisions made for them; however, tools that help develop our capacity to become better decision-makers were most preferred.”

— Tawanna Dillahunt, Professor at the U-M School of Information

“Users want a deliberative tool, not a prescriptive one. They don't want the app to decide for them-they want it to help them make better decisions.”

— Annalisa Szymanski, Doctoral student at Notre Dame

What’s next

Researchers say the findings highlight a key shift: technology can support not just what people buy, but how they think about food. The tool will be further developed and tested in additional communities to assess its long-term impact on shopping habits and dietary outcomes.

The takeaway

This new tech-driven tool represents a promising approach to helping people, especially in underserved communities, make healthier and more affordable grocery choices. By empowering users to become better decision-makers rather than making decisions for them, the tool has the potential to drive lasting behavior change around food.