Supermarket devotion to health and wellness

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

I remember a few years ago when my local grocery store had one aisle dedicated to health and wellness. Today, that aisle has expanded to a perimeter section of the store, right next to the remodeled pharmacy with a consultation area and screening equipment. There are also health labels in all the aisles instructing me on products that are heart healthy and gluten free and the store sponsors an annual fun run benefiting the community. As I walk through my local store today, it’s clear that health and wellness is a part of every aspect of the grocery shopping experience.

For the third year, FMI has surveyed food retailers on how they are meeting the needs of shoppers who are seeking healthier lifestyles. FMI’s Retail Contributions to Health and Wellness demonstrates an exploration of health and wellness programs in the food retail setting. More than half (54%) of food retailers surveyed have established health and wellness programs for both customers and employees

In addition, the majority (61%) of food retailers surveyed report that their companies’ overall health and wellness programs and activities in 2014 have moderately or significantly increased in comparison to 2013. And health and wellness programs are becoming more sophisticated with more than 63% of food retailers in this survey having set quantitative business goals for their health and wellness programs and are tracking results.

In response to the growing demand for preventative health management and simple solutions, food retailers are helping serve as health and wellness allies for shoppers. You can learn more about this trend at FMI Connect in the Health and Wellness track session Impact in the Aisles: Building a Total Store Wellness Strategy.