New Tool Helps Spot Americans Struggling to Eat Healthy

Key Takeaways

A new two-question tool screens for barriers to eating healthy food, not just food accessIn surveys of 20,000+ adults, 81% said healthy foods were too expensiveNutrition insecurity was linked to higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions

FRIDAY, Nov. 7, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A new screening tool may help doctors and communities better understand why so many Americans struggle to eat a healthy diet, even when they have enough food.

Researchers at Tufts University’s Food is Medicine Institute in Boston have created and tested a survey called the Nutrition Security Screener (NSS).

Unlike standard food security tools that focus only on whether people have enough to eat, the NSS looks at whether people can regularly access nutritious foods that suppo