Author: Kaylin

Eat a More Colorful Plate: Encouraging Clients’ Fruit and Veggie Consumption Begins at the Supermarket

Supermarket Dietitians: A Growing Trend

Website Resources/Customizable Resource Materials

“With Americans making, on average, 61 trips per household per year to the grocery store, registered dietitians who work in supermarkets, and who can reach millions of customers, are ideally positioned to make a big impact in educating shoppers on how to buy, prepare, and eat healthier foods. “
—Georgia Orcutt
Program Manager, Mediterranean Foods Alliance

“I could teach people so much more in the aisles of a grocery store than I ever could as a clinical dietitian,”
—Donna Dolan, MS, RD

Dietitians employed by supermarkets can make a great impact on the health and lifestyle choices people make in their daily lives, A force of creative, energetic dietitians, located in the very place where people make decisions about what they feed their families day in and day out, has an opportunity to help the public in ways that other dietitians may not. The problem is, however, that there are very few supermarket-based interventions reported internationally. This is a major research gap and a potentially valuable missed opportunity in efforts to promote healthy eating behaviors. A better interpretation of the effects of different skills-based, price-related approaches, as well as what methods are most effective in providing consumers with the right knowledge to have a lasting impact on food purchasing and consumption behaviors will guide the evidence to use in future studies to create appropriate policy and program responses to battle the unhealthy eating habits and consequential health concerns of consumers worldwide. Although more research is needed, there have been a few studies done to find out the best way to approach a shopper as a dietitian and influence them to make healthier choices while supermarket shopping
Of particular interest in recent years is the encouragement of people shopping for their families at the supermarket to make wiser decisions to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in the diets of their families. One study in particular that was published in the BMC Public Health journal regarding the effects of different methods of trying to change consumers’ food purchasing choices and their eating habits was the SHELf study. “The SHELf study was focused on developing evidence about effective means of improving fruit and vegetable consumption and decreasing intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages, behaviours that are established as key determinants of obesity risk.” The study interpreted “the effectiveness of intervention strategies aimed at increasing women's purchasing and consumption of fruits and vegetables and decreased purchasing and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. It was among the first internationally to examine the effects of two promising approaches - skill-building and price reductions - on diet amongst women.”and price reductions - on diet amongst women.

Dawn Blocklinger, a dietitian at a Hy-Vee grocery store in Moline, Ill., teaches customers how to choose healthy foods

Ten Things a Supermarket Dietitian Can Do

Americans buy 74% of their food purchases in grocery
Americans make 138 million trips to grocery/week (61 trips/household/year)
Sources: Symphony IRI Liquid Data, 2007-2011 Grocery, Ending 12/25/2011, Kantar Retail Projections 2012e-2015e

Teach people how to cook
Educate about reading labels
Increase fruit and vegetable consumption
Manage food allergies
Media wellness coverage.

6. Teach kids about nutrition
Dispense credible nutrition information
Promote wellness programs
Make connections in the food system
Improve the RD image

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Eat a More Colorful Plate: Encouraging Clients’ Fruit and Veggie Consumption Begins at the Supermarket

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One benefit of using your newsletter as a promotional tool is that you can reuse content from other marketing materials, such as press releases, market studies, and reports.
While your main goal of distributing a newsletter might be to sell your product or service, the key to a successful newsletter is making it useful to your readers.
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Much of the content you put in your newsletter can also be used for your Web site. Microsoft Publisher offers a simple way to convert your newsletter to a Web publication. So, when you’re finished writing your newsletter, convert it to a Web site and post it.

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This story can fit 100-150 words.
The subject matter that appears in newsletters is virtually endless. You can include stories that focus on current technologies or innovations in your field.
You may also want to note business or economic trends, or make predictions for your customers or clients.
If the newsletter is distributed internally, you might comment upon new procedures or improvements to the business. Sales figures or earnings will show how your business is growing.
Some newsletters include a column that is updated every issue, for instance, an advice column, a book review, a letter from the president, or an editorial. You can also profile new employees or top customers or vendors.

“To catch the reader's attention, place an interesting sentence or quote from the story here.”

Inside Story Headline

This story can fit 75-125 words.
Selecting pictures or graphics is an important part of adding content to your newsletter.
Think about your article and ask yourself if the picture supports or enhances the message you’re trying to convey. Avoid selecting images that appear to be out of context.
Microsoft Publisher includes thousands of clip art images from which you can choose and import into your newsletter. There are also several tools you can use to draw shapes and symbols.
Once you have chosen an image, place it close to the article. Be sure to place the caption of the image near the image.

Caption describing picture or graphic.

Page #

Inside Story Headline

This story can fit 150-200 words.
One benefit of using your newsletter as a promotional tool is that you can reuse content from other marketing materials, such as press releases, market studies, and reports.
While your main goal of distributing a newsletter might be to sell your product or service, the key to a successful newsletter is making it useful to your readers.
A great way to add useful content to your newsletter is to develop and write your own articles, or include a calendar of upcoming events or a special offer that promotes a new product.
You can also research articles or find “filler” articles by accessing the World Wide Web. You can write about a variety of topics but try to keep your articles short.
Much of the content you put in your newsletter can also be used for your Web site. Microsoft Publisher offers a simple way to convert your newsletter to a Web publication. So, when you’re finished writing your newsletter, convert it to a Web site and post it.

Caption describing picture or graphic.

Inside Story Headline

This story can fit 100-150 words.
The subject matter that appears in newsletters is virtually endless. You can include stories that focus on current technologies or innovations in your field.
You may also want to note business or economic trends, or make predictions for your customers or clients.
If the newsletter is distributed internally, you might comment upon new procedures or improvements to the business. Sales figures or earnings will show how your business is growing.
Some newsletters include a column that is updated every issue, for instance, an advice column, a book review, a letter from the president, or an editorial. You can also profile new employees or top customers or vendors.

“To catch the reader's attention, place an interesting sentence or quote from the story here.”

Inside Story Headline

This story can fit 75-125 words.
Selecting pictures or graphics is an important part of adding content to your newsletter.
Think about your article and ask yourself if the picture supports or enhances the message you’re trying to convey. Avoid selecting images that appear to be out of context.
Microsoft Publisher includes thousands of clip art images from which you can choose and import into your newsletter. There are also several tools you can use to draw shapes and symbols.
Once you have chosen an image, place it close to the article. Be sure to place the caption of the image near the image.

Caption describing picture or graphic.

Website Resources/Customizable Resource Materials FREE for supermarket dietitians and
their customers

Produce for Better Health Foudation: http://www.pbhfoundation.org/
Consumer Website: Fruits and Veggies—More Matters: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/
Consumer Marketing and Promotional Activities Tool: http://www.pbhfoundation.org/pri_sec/retail/mar_tools/
Ways to Explain how to Make Half your Plate Fruits and Vegetables to Consumers: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/myplate-and-what-is-a-serving-of-fruits-and-vegetables

How to empower shopping mothers to pick out healthier choices for their families:
Give common fruits and veggies more catchy names to increase kids’ affinity for them like “x-ray vision carrots” or “tiny tasty tree tops” for broccoli.
Pick a food group and ask your child to choose a new food at the supermarket from that group for your family to try that they haven’t tried before
Take time to compare fresh, frozen, and canned foods to see which is cheapest. Buy what’s in season and what is on special reduced prices

“Most moms (96%) say they feel good about themselves as a mother when they feed their children fruits or vegetables. In contrast, when feeding starchy foods, only 2% who say they feel good about themselves as a mother, and when feeding sweets and snacks, only 1% said this.”
Source: www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/

strategies aimed at increasing women's purchasing and consumption of fruits and vegetables and decreased purchasing and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. It was among the first internationally to examine the effects of two promising approaches - skill-building and price reductions - on diet amongst women.”
Another study recently published in The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity showed “a 25% discount on fruits and vegetables was effective in stimulating purchases of those products and did neither lead to higher expenditures in unhealthier food categories nor to higher total calories purchased. Future studies in real supermarkets need to confirm these findings.”
The Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) did a few studies recently on the fruit and vegetable purchases made by Gen X and Gen Y mothers while shopping for their families. “When primary shoppers were asked what factors made it most difficult for them to include more fruits and vegetables in meals and snacks, cost was among the highest concerns. In fact, 44% said fruit was too expensive and 35% said vegetables were too expensive. Fresh fruits and vegetables in particular were perceived as most costly, while frozen and canned were favored because they were less costly. When asked why shoppers don’t purchase some forms of fruits and vegetables, concern about artificial ingredients or added preservatives prevailed, with a general perception that canned fruits and vegetables in particular weren’t as healthy as other forms.”
These studies show a key problem in particular. According to PBH, “today’s busy shoppers are looking for convenient, tasty food choices that provide good nutrition at a good price. With five different forms to choose from and over 200 fruit and vegetable commodities, there are more healthy food choices for consumers than ever before. There is an identified need, however, to educate consumers about the role that all forms of fruit and veggies can play in a healthy diet. All forms of fruit and vegetables, whether fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or 100% juice, provide a wide range of natural nutrients important to overall good health.
People today need to be concerned about trying to consume more fruits and vegetables to maintain a healthy diet, as it is a great concern for most dietitians and many clients they may come across in their workplaces. Most consumers assume that eating healthier and buying healthier whole foods like fruits and vegetables is simply too costly and they need more guidance or support in their purchasing decisions at the supermarket that can have a lasting impact on them and their families overall health. More studies need to be done to truly figure out the best methods for a supermarket dietitian to reach out to consumers to influence their decisions to consume more fruits and vegetables. Overall, however, supermarket dietitians need to play a role in helping consumers become more knowledgeable and more aware about their fruit and vegetable purchases.