# Gen Z skips meals as healthy food costs soar

> College students between 18 and 25 want to eat better but can't afford it, so nine in ten cut back on food to pay bills.
- Title: Gen Z skips meals as healthy food costs soar · Fortune
- Summary: College students between 18 and 25 want to eat better but can't afford it, so nine in ten cut back on food to pay bills. Eighty five percent of college…
- Keywords: gen z, college students, food affordability, healthy eating, inflation, grocery prices, Gen, skips, meals, healthy, food, costs
- Source: Fortune — https://fortune.com/2026/09/23/gen-z-healthy-groceries-unaffordable-bills
- Author: Mia Osmonbekov
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: gen z, college students, food affordability, healthy eating, inflation, grocery prices
## Most college students want healthier diets
Eighty five percent of college students aged eighteen to twenty five wish they ate healthier, and fifty eight percent say healthier groceries would be their top spending priority if money were no object.
## But nine in ten skip meals to pay bills
Nine in ten college students who completed at least one year of college cut back on buying food or skipped meals entirely to pay for bills, rent, or tuition, according to a survey of one thousand people.
## Healthier food genuinely costs more
A Harvard Law School study found bread without additives costs twenty eight percent more than bread with them, and cereals without additives cost sixty five percent more than the cheapest alternatives.

> bread without additives cost 28% more than bread containing them, and cereals without those additives cost 65% more than the cheapest alternatives
## Grocery prices keep climbing overall
Groceries cost two point two percent more in August than a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, adding to years of increases that have made weekly shopping costlier for students already paying tuition.
## Students change shopping habits under pressure
Nearly all students surveyed changed how they shop, with forty seven percent comparing prices more often and forty six percent choosing cheaper brands. Twenty seven percent specifically cut back on healthy foods.
## Eating patterns shift as budgets tighten
Just twenty four percent of Gen Z surveyed regularly eat three meals a day during school year, while more than half occasionally or frequently replace meals with snacks, reflecting both tight schedules and financial stress.
## Key takeaway

Eighty five percent of college students wish they ate healthier, but nine in ten have skipped meals or cut food spending to afford bills and tuition as healthy groceries cost significantly more.