[hoppyhoppy2]

Keep in mind this is based on individuals' food spending, not the overall cost of food.

Maybe Hawaii and Vermont, which are some of the healthiest states, look expensive because people there buy more fresh produce and organic food.

They only used data for the most populous city in each state. Weird.

[burlesona]

Food in Hawaii is significantly more expensive than the rest of the US, and always has been, due to the shipping cost for all sorts of staple goods that aren’t produced in volume locally. Most famously, milk.

I don’t think “healthy eating” has explanatory power here.

[hoppyhoppy2]

Vermont's groceries aren't dirt-cheap, but they're cheaper than, say, Seattle.

Downtown Burlington's only grocery store is a natural-foods co-op, so maybe that skews the price data? Most of the mainstream, less-expensive grocery stores "in Burlington" are actually in South Burlington, which is a different city.