Supermarkets Can Offer Health in Every Aisle

By Susan Borra, RD, Executive Director, FMI Foundation & Chief Health and Wellness Officer

Shoppers have expanded their value equation when it comes to food selection.   While taste, price and convenience are still important, there is a growing trend towards health and wellness being an equal, if not a more important, value in food purchase decisions. 

Today many food retailers see their mission to be a key partner in health and wellness in the communities they serve.  This vison is backed by FMI’s U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2017 research that 45 percent of consumers perceive their primary food store as being an ally to help them achieve their wellness needs.  Coupling this with the fact that 88 percent of shoppers also believe that the food they prepare at home is much healthier than the food they eat away from home, food retailers are in an excellent position to be a trusted health and wellness partner to their customers.

Each household defines health and wellness uniquely and with many consumers seeking assistance in their health and wellness journey, food retailers are responding.  Last year, 74 percent of retail executives told us they use consumer wellness and family health strategies to help their stores stand out from the competition and 76 percent use solutions for family meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) to build a competitive advantage.  Food retailers are offering assistance in many ways: providing healthy options in the fresh and private brands arenas; highlighting nutritionally superior selections in center store; and developing healthy, creative meal solutions in fresh prepared departments.

In addition, many food retailers say that a strong consumer health and wellness program, featuring dietitians, will be a significant growth opportunity for their brand in the years ahead.  Dietitians currently serve in many capacities in food retail, from providing guidance to healthier food choices, to showing shoppers how to prepare healthy, quick and delicious meals.  In some cases, the dietitians are teaming up with the pharmacists to help customers with individual health needs that require special dietary guidance.  In other instances, the dietitian works closely with the culinary team to develop healthy and tasty offerings from the fresh prepared department or with the store brand team to help improve the nutrition profile of private brands

Food retailers, especially those with dietitians, pharmacies and even clinics providing medical services, are uniquely positioned to be a one stop shop for health and wellness and this gives shoppers another great reason to visit their grocery store each week.