Food Retail Pharmacy Outlook For 2015

By: Cathy Polley, RPh, Vice President, Health & Wellness, FMI & Executive Director, FMI Foundation 

Consumer-driven health care is a trend that will only grow in prominence as more shoppers recognize and act on the personal connections they have between food selections and their health. Food retailers understand shoppers’ need for solutions in-store, which is why grocers are identifying their own unique strategies that bridge the gap between food and pharmacy to help support their customers’ overall wellness goals. With this in mind, here is the pharmacy outlook for 2015:

Impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)

Health care and the ACA remain the No. 1 concern on the 2014 FMI “Worry Index” among all stores that have been spending the last four years preparing to be ACA compliant, but retailers are also identifying ways to turn this anxiety into profit. According to retail analysts at Oliver Wyman, “More than 1,600 retail locations are now home to health care clinics, and an increasing number of pharmacy, supermarket and mass chains have entered the health care space, some in innovative ways.”

Menu Labeling Law and Fresh Food

Scheduled to be effective in December 2015, new menu labeling regulations will impact fresh food offerings by all stores, no matter their primary business, and have a chilling effect on some of the creative ways retailers have made healthier, fresher food more accessible to an “on-the-go” generation. Pharmacies and supercenters will likely redirect dietitians’ resources to standardizing food offerings, maintaining databases, and aligning font sizes and background colors to comply with government regulations.

Dietary Guidance and Food Safety

In 2015, FMI will embark on several campaigns to help the nation’s grocery stores better engage and empower their customers on health. FMI is a member of the Back to Balance Coalition to help companies promote balanced, practical and achievable dietary guidance. FMI’s new National Family Meals campaign among retailers encourages consumers to commit to one more meal a month and provides in-store elements, social media tools and other creative elements to help grocery shoppers make the pledge.

To effectively address the food safety and health and nutritional needs of customers, the FMI Foundation seeks to ensure continued quality and efficiency in the food retailing system and is operated for charitable, educational and scientific purposes. The FMI Foundation focuses on research and education in the areas of food safety, nutrition and health. FMI’s Center for Retail Health & Wellness helps grocers maximize opportunities throughout the store to improve customer loyalty through their health and wellness offerings and programs. We provide leadership, educational events, news, research, tool kits and other resources to help our members enhance, expand and evaluate their health and wellness initiatives.

Focus on Diabetes

FMI will invest in new diabetes research this year that shares true application of programs and services for diabetes prevention and management at retail. We will continue our efforts to benchmark the health and wellness programs and contributions among retailers. Ultimately, our efforts will culminate at Health & Wellness @ Retail now integrated into the education program at FMI Connect as a workshop track. The Health & Wellness Zone and Pavilion on the exhibit floor will demonstrate how grocers can make their store a health and wellness destination for shoppers. We strive to help our members see how to develop such initiatives as cholesterol and diabetes screenings; nutrition counseling and courses; pharmacy and dietitian-provided services; and flu shots.

Content from this post previously appeared in Chain Drug Review.