Giant-Landover Pushes 'Healthy Ideas' for New Year

As its shoppers get ready to ring in the new year, Landover, Md.-based Giant Food LLC is reminding them that a good way to stick to promises to eat more nutritious foods and shed excess poundage can be found right n the aisles of its stores, which exclusively offer the “Healthy Ideas” labeling system.

“Losing weight and eating better regularly rank as among the most common New Year’s resolutions,” noted Andrea Astrachan, consumer advisor for Giant, a division of Quincy, Mass.-based Ahold USA. “There is no better place to make healthy choices than at the supermarket and Giant is committed to helping our customers stay on track with their healthy eating goals throughout the year.”

The Healthy Ideas system, which launched in January 2009, is now featured on thousands of Giant private brand and national-brand perishable and nonperishable items, among them most fresh fruits; vegetables; 100 percent fruit juice; canned, frozen and dried fruits and vegetables; breads, cereals, rice and pasta; fat-free dairy products, lower-sodium soups; frozen meals; and even some snack foods. A distinctive blue-and-green shelf tag helps shoppers determine healthy options in the store.

“Healthy Ideas … makes it easy for Giant customers to identify foods that fit into a healthy lifestyle,” explained Astrachan. “In order to receive the Healthy Ideas distinction, a product must meet certain criteria related to total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugar amounts that was developed by a team of registered dietitians using information from Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the USDA Food Pyramid and the Food & Drug Administration.”
Other solutions offered by Giant to help its customers take charge of their health are tips on incorporating more nutritious foods into their diets and quick and easy recipes in the chain’s circular, a candy-free “Smile Aisle” checkout in every store to make shopping easier for parents and caregivers shopping with small children, and a free “Kids Corner” activity sheet for small children that encourages eating fruits and veggie through the use of popular Nickelodeon characters.

Customers can also visit Giant’s website to find many healthy recipes, tips for eating healthy on a budget, answers to frequently asked nutrition questions and other information by clicking on the Healthy Ideas tab at the top of the homepage at www.GiantFood.com. Additionally, Giant’s “Passport to Nutrition” Web-based program aims to teach kids about nutrition and living healthy lifestyles in a fun, interactive way. The program website, www.giantfood.com/living_well/passport.htm, equips parents and teachers alike with the resourcees to interest youngsters in healthy living.

Giant operates 179 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia, and employs about 22,000 associates. Included within the 179 stores are 163 full-service pharmacies.