Quincy, MA – Furthering its commitment to health and sustainability in the communities it serves, Stop & Shop announced today its participation in the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s Roundtable on Obesity Solutions. Stop & Shop is the first grocery retailer to join the NASEM Roundtable on Obesity Solutions and will work alongside experts from fields such as public policy, health, medicine, and education to develop sustainable, system-wide solutions to combat the obesity epidemic. Stop & Shop’s participation will be led by brand President Gordon Reid, who will serve as committee advisor from the grocery retail sector.
“More than 40% of American adults and nearly 20% of American children are affected by obesity, according to the CDC. As a grocery retailer serving communities across the Northeast, Stop & Shop has a responsibility to do our part to help solve this national health crisis,” said Gordon Reid, President of Stop & Shop. “Providing insights into how retailers can make healthy decisions easier for our communities will be key in developing a holistic solution.”
The Roundtable on Obesity Solutions’ work will focus on the impact of health equity, health communication, and access to healthy options in reducing obesity while determining causation and correlation to larger socioeconomic impacts, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, health and medical access, health inequities, and historic health disparities. Stop & Shop will present and discuss strategies for alleviating food insecurity and integrating healthy grocery options into the broader system changes that are needed to reduce the prevalence of obesity in the community.
Stop & Shop’s participation in the Roundtable is part of the grocery retailer’s larger health & sustainability strategy. In addition to its work with NASEM, Stop & Shop announced in 2020 a groundbreaking commitment to increase healthy product sales through its work with Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA). Alongside PHA, the premier national nonprofit working to transform the food landscape in pursuit of health equity, Stop & Shop has committed to increasing healthier food sales through its Guiding Stars Program. Guiding Stars helps consumers choose foods with the most nutritional value through an easy to understand rating system. Additionally, Stop & Shop has committed that by June 2025, at least 54% of all private brands food sales will achieve at least a one, two, or three-star rating through the Guiding Stars Program.
Stop & Shop will participate in the Roundtable on Obesity Solutions through 2022 and beyond to help develop long-term strategies and solutions to reduce obesity and promote improved health outcomes in the communities it serves. For more information on Stop & Shop’s health and sustainability efforts, visit www.stopandshop.com/pages/sustainability.
About Stop & Shop
A neighborhood grocer for more than 100 years, Stop & Shop offers a wide assortment with a focus on fresh, healthy options at a great value. Stop & Shop’s GO Rewards loyalty program delivers personalized offers and allows customers to earn points that can be redeemed for gas or groceries every time they shop. Stop & Shop customers can choose how and where they want to shop – whether it’s in-store or online for delivery or same day pickup. The company is committed to making an impact in its communities by fighting hunger, supporting our troops, and investing in pediatric cancer research to help find a cure. The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC is an Ahold Delhaize USA Company and employs 58,000 associates and operates more than 400 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. To learn more about Stop & Shop, visit www.stopandshop.com.
About National Academies of Science, Engineering & Medicine:
The National Academies are private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, technology, and medicine. They operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln.
