CHICAGO — More than 40 registered dietitians (RDs) and health and wellness professionals from the country's leading food retailers, manufacturers, and other related organizations met in Philadelphia last week to discuss how to promote consumer health in grocery stores at the Dietitian Summit, co-hosted by Ahold USA and Field Trip Factory, May 18 – 20, 2011.
The third annual invitation-only summit provides an intimate setting for industry professionals to discuss national and international nutrition and wellness topics including healthy eating on budget, reaching consumers via social media and consumer shopping trends.
"It's obvious that RDs at the retail level are firmly embedded and truly reflect a corporate commitment to a store and the community that it serves," said Susan Singer, president and CEO of Field Trip Factory. "By developing programs that teach consumers to quickly and easily prepare meals, RDs have the opportunity to influence both retail sales and the overall well-being of Americans."
Key conclusions from the Summit include:
•Grocers should encourage Americans to consume a larger variety of foods by cooking more at home and purchasing minimally processed food in order to improve health and wellness.
•Supermarkets should strive to reach children at the early stages of food preference development, ages 4+ and, work in as part of a comprehensive community health and wellness program that includes supermarket RDs, doctors, pharmacists, fitness professionals and insurance companies. Programs teaching healthy eating early in life ingrain lifelong eating habits and are more successful than those focused solely on adults.
•Grocery retailers should understand that budget and time constraints will continue for the next several years, challenging Americans who want to eat better. RDs can reach customers by utilizing encouraging language and educational language touting health benefits, and not conveying judgment.
•Retailers can see greater profits by increasing programs that showcase produce along with cost effective, easy ways to prepare main meals and side dishes, including those that feature spices.
According to Shirley Axe, health and wellness manager of Ahold USA, "A key takeaway was the role that trusted grocers play in helping families make healthier choices. Stores with nutritionists deliver a high return of value because they are the perfect place to deliver relevant health and nutritional information to customers."
In addition to co-hosts Ahold USA and Field Trip Factory, the 2011 sponsors of the event included Cabot Creamery, Lifeway Kefir, McCormick Spices, National Milk Mustache "got milk?"® Campaign, PepsiCo, Unilever and Vestcom.
Next year's Dietitian Summit will be held in Spring 2012. For more information, contact Laura Lundin at llundin@fieldtripfactory.com
ABOUT FIELD TRIP FACTORY
The industry leader for hands-on learning experiences since 1992, Field Trip Factory (FTF) turns business communities into classrooms through relevant, educational Field Trips for the education community, children and adults. With more than 30 trips offered in topics from environmental education to health and wellness and animal welfare, FTF Field Trips provide valuable, interactive life-skill lessons while assisting corporate sponsors in increasing sales, generating customer loyalty and differentiating themselves from their competition. For more information visit: www.fieldtripfactory.com
Source: Field Trip Factory
