Does Online Grocery Shopping Lead to More Nutritious Purchases?
Online grocery stores have been trying to get a foothold in the U.S. market ever since they were considered the "next big thing" in the dot-com frenzy of the late-1990s. Today’s e-commerce grocers, such as FreshDirect and Peapod, promise fresh food delivered to your door, but their reach is still limited. A recent study of student behavior conducted at SUNY Albany gives a boost to the concept, suggesting that people who shop for groceries online may make healthier choices than if they had taken a trip to the local supermarket.
Don't go down that aisle:
Even students who had self-identified as “very impulsive” were able to choose healthy food when shopping online, the researchers said.
The researchers admit that the study, which was presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in August 2017, was small and hasn’t yet been peer reviewed.
A 2011 Forbes report claimed that the inability to see (and feel) what you’re buying -- fish and meat, for example, or fruits and vegetables -- may keep the online grocery business model from ever succeeding.
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