New Study from Nature's Garden and Wired Research Reveals 85% of College Students Wish They Ate Better This School Year, but Rising Costs Are Getting in the Way

The survey of U.S. college students finds that rising grocery costs are changing what students eat and how they budget for it

TOTOWA, N.J. , Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study from Nature's Garden, the better-for-you snacking brand, and Wired Research examines the gap between how college students want to eat and what their budgets and schedules actually allow. As students return to campus for the 2026-2027 school year, the Snack-Xiety Report found that 85% of students wish they ate healthier during the school year, and 83% say that healthy eating is more expensive than unhealthy eating. 

Students aren't just chasing convenience—83% say healthy eating helps them perform better academically, and 82% say healthy snacks keep them energized throughout the day.

THE REALITY OF COLLEGE
For today's college students, the cost of simply living has become one of the defining stressors of the school year.

Nearly all (99%) students say at least one part of the year ahead is a major source of stress — and it's not just money. Mental health (50%) and balancing school and work (47%) top the list of stressors, with the cost of everyday life close behind. Heading into the 2026-2027 academic year, 86% of students say they are financially stressed by the cost of everyday life. For most, that stress extends well beyond tuition: three in four (75%) experienced college students say everyday living expenses have turned out to be more expensive than they expected before starting school.

FOOD UNDER FINANCIAL PRESSURE
Rising food prices have not just raised the bill. They have changed what students put in the cart, and how often they eat.

Experienced college students report spending an average of $136.10 per week on food and snacks outside of the campus meal plan while school is in session. That pace could add up to more than $2,000 a semester. To make that expense feasible, they are adjusting budgets constantly: 96% say higher food prices have changed how they shop, with 47% comparing prices more than they used to. Notably, 42% of experienced students say they are buying fewer snacks altogether because of rising prices.

Those pressures show up in the rhythm of the day. Just 24% of college students regularly eat three balanced meals a day, while more than half (51%) occasionally or frequently replace a meal with snacks, and another 25% describe their eating schedule as completely unpredictable or say they simply eat whenever they have time. Among experienced students, the habit is nearly universal: 96% have replaced a meal with snacks during a typical school week, and almost half (47%) do so often or almost every day. Snacks aren't just filling gaps between meals—for a growing number of students, they've become the meal itself.

That's where products like Nature's Garden Probiotic Yoggies can come in. Made with real fruit and coated in creamy yogurt, Yoggies deliver 2 billion probiotics per serving and are a good source of fiber, while remaining non-GMO, gluten-free, naturally flavored and free from artificial colors and corn syrup—offering a shelf-stable, convenient, and affordable snack option for students. 

"We know students are navigating a lot right now, from financial pressure to demanding schedules, and food is one more area where they're having to make thoughtful tradeoffs," said Naz Akdilek, Senior Marketing Planning & Strategy Manager, Nature's Garden. "That's why we offer a range of sizes and price points, from single-serve grab-and-go to multi-packs, so students can find convenient, better-for-you options that fit into real college life and the budgets they're working with."

NUTRITION INTENTIONS MEET REALITY
College students care about nutrition. They are informed, motivated, yet frustrated.

While 85% of college students wish they ate healthier, 83% believe healthy eating costs more, and the desire hasn't disappeared just because the budget has. If money were no object, healthier groceries would be the No. 1 thing students would spend more on (58%), while half (50%) would spend more on healthier snacks, suggesting the appetite for better-for-you choices is there even when the wallet says otherwise. 

That priority also shows up in what students say would be hardest to give up. Asked what would be hardest to give up, one in four (25%) college students name snacks, ahead of coffee runs (19%), weekend trips (18%), dates (16%) and concert or live event tickets (13%).

What counts as a "good" snack is shifting too. More than half (53%) of students say social media platforms like TikTok or Instagram have shaped how they think about food and snacks over the past year, with 70% saying protein content now influences what they choose.

"What stood out to us is that college students haven't stopped caring about eating well. In many ways, it's the opposite," said Danielle Sherman, Founder and CEO of Wired Research. "They want to make healthier choices, but those choices are colliding with the realities of college life, especially tighter budgets and schedules that don't always leave room for traditional meals. Snacks are filling that gap, becoming less of an extra and more of a practical part of how students get through the day."

METHODOLOGY
The Snack-Xiety Report was commissioned by Nature's Garden and conducted by Wired Research between August 17, 2026 and August 25, 2026, among 1,000 American college students, defined as U.S. adults ages 18 to 25 enrolled full-time in a two-year or four-year college or university for the 2026-2027 school year, including on-campus residents, off-campus residents, and non-resident commuters.

ABOUT NATURE'S GARDEN
Since 2009, Nature's Garden has grown from a basement startup into a $500 million smart-snacking business, employing more than 1,200 people across a 600,000-square-foot vertically integrated campus. Products are available in 50,000 retail locations across all 50 states and 18 international markets. Nature's Garden is home to category-defining innovations like Probiotic Yoggies and Probiotic FRUiCHiAS, which Mintel named the Most Innovative Food & Beverage Product in the Americas in 2026. The brand was also recognized on the Inc. 5000 2026 List, Bain's 2026 Insurgent Brand List and named a rising star in Circana's Pacesetters Class of 2025. Nature's Garden sells nationwide through leading retailers including Target, Costco, Walmart, Sam's Club, Kroger, Albertsons, and Amazon.

ABOUT WIRED RESEARCH
Wired Research is a full-service market research firm that transforms human insights into compelling stories that move brands forward. Specializing in custom quantitative research and survey-driven thought leadership, Wired Research helps organizations uncover the perspectives, behaviors and cultural shifts that matter most to their audiences, then turns those findings into insights built to inform strategy and spark conversation. From research design through storytelling, Wired Research brings a journalistic lens to data, helping brands discover the story within the numbers and activate it across PR, marketing and beyond.

SOURCE Nature's Garden