Belle Foods Makes Use of Vestcom’s healthyAisles

Southeast grocery chain Belle Foods has expanded its existing partnership with customized shelf-edge communications and specialized marketing services provider Vestcom to introduce a nutrition guidance program.

Vestcom’s healthyAisles shelf-edge program uses a combination of 33 available nutritional attributes to call out such food characteristics as gluten-free, sensible carbs, sugar aware, heart-healthy and natural. The vendor leveraged its expertise in data integration to incorporate this nutrition information into Belle’s existing shelf-edge communications, which are also provided by Vestcom.

Known at the chain as "Simply Healthy," the convenient proprietary system features color-coded shelf tags indicating which nutritional characteristics various food items have, saving customers the time and effort of reading every product label.

“Nutrition is a top-of-mind concern for many of our customers,” said Bill White, president and CEO of Birmingham, Ala.-based Belle Foods, which operates 57 stores in Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Mississippi. “Our initiative with Vestcom enables us to grow our relationship with our customers by supporting their needs to make healthful decisions for their family.” White noted the importance of “providing health information at the shelf-edge, where most purchase decisions are made.”

Developed in accordance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines, Vestcom’s healthyAisles merges planogram and pricing data with nutritional guidelines in an easy-to-understand, eye-catching format at the shelf-edge. The company’s nutrition programs are currently in use by 27 retail clients operating nearly 6,000 stores.

“Belle Foods understands that shoppers are seeking healthy alternatives for meals, and that there is an opportunity for retailers to step in and help,” said Anissa Buckley, VP of health and wellness for Little Rock, Ark.-based Vestcom.