Sales at this store outnumber Walmart’s and McDonald’s’ combined, and it’s only just the beginning. Perhaps part of the deadliest health trend of the 21st century, research shows it can have a devastating effect on your waistline.
STORY AT-A-GLANCE Dollar stores such as Dollar General and Dollar Tree (which also owns Family Dollar) feed more Americans than Whole Foods.
Across the United States, there are now 30,000 Dollar General and Dollar Tree stores—outnumbering Walmart and McDonald’s’ combined—and the chains claim to have their sights on another 20,000 locations.
Dollar stores target urban neighborhoods and small towns where economic struggles are commonplace, turning these areas into food deserts as they push out smaller, already struggling grocers.
Driving this trend is the U.S. government’s subsidy of processed food, both through the Farm Bill and through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Research shows people who consume the most subsidized foods have a 37 percent greater risk of obesity than those who consume the least. Dollar stores such as Dollar General and Dollar Tree (which also owns Family Dollar) are becoming a primary source of food for many families. The chains feed more Americans than Whole Foods,1 which isn’t surprising when you consider there are 30,000 Dollar General and Dollar Tree stores across the United States—outnumbering Walmart’s and McDonald’s’ combined—compared to 446 Whole Foods locations….