Improving Customer Health and Wellness While Increasing Your Business

By: Susan Borra, RD, Senior Vice President, Communications and Strategic Planning, Food Marketing Institute

According to U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2015, 80 percent of shoppers assume personal responsibility for the nutrition of the food they buy. However, shoppers still rely on food manufacturers (42 percent) and retailers (33 percent) as partners to ensure their food is nutritious. When it comes to health and wellness, Food Marketing Institute (FMI) has a number of resources to help you better understand the trends playing out in the aisles. Here are a few items you can find on our website at www.fmi.org/HealthandWellness.  

See inside the store and how food retailers are transforming the aisles of the supermarket into wellness destinations with the report on Retailer Contributions to Health & Wellness. This most up-to-date survey highlights the complex combination of corporate social responsibility and the vast business opportunities for food retailers. The findings include applicable insights and action items to help food retailers strategically grow and shape their companies’ health and wellness offerings in a meaningful way.

Also available is FMI's 22nd annual survey with Prevention, Shopping for Health which explores how consumers’ health and nutrition attitudes influence the way they grocery shop and offers shopper insights regarding the growing trend at retail to provide patient-centered care. 

Speaking of patient-centered care, the pharmacy is becoming increasingly important to how grocery stores can become health care centers. FMI provides online education, training programs and courses for store-level and management associates for preview and purchase through our website.

Consumers want nutrition information that is easy to understand and identify. The joint industry Facts Up Front nutrition labeling program helps educate shoppers on making informed choices at the shelf. This website has resources for food retailers to implement Facts Up Front on products and in store.

You can also find the tools you need for proven, successful nutrition education initiatives for your business. For example, this handy Nutrifacts poster includes all major cuts of single-ingredient, raw meat and poultry products. It is USDA compliant and easy to download. Members can even have their own logos added to the print outs here.

Another worthwhile initiative for retailers looking to increase their bottom line in the health and wellness space is FMI’s RD Toolkit. The guide’s interactive features will custom tailor your experience to that of retail CEOs, Store Managers, Human Resources or Retail Dietitians. These narrowed lanes of information will maximize the applicable strategies that you can use to meet the ever-growing needs of your shoppers.

During March, National Nutrition Month, FMI’s resources can help food retailers encourage shopper to “saver the flavor of eating right” and it all starts with a click. Visit www.fmi.org/HealthandWellness for more information on how to start or improve upon your business’ health and wellness initiatives today.