Life-Saving Supermarkets

Food retailers are literally stepping up to the plate for consumers with gluten issues and diabetes.

Camilla Buczek was standing in the aisle at Martin’s Food Market in Eldersburg, Md., tears streaming down her face. Buczek, 60, had been diagnosed three years before with celiac disease, so she was a regular shopper at Martin’s because of its 20-foot section of gluten-free food — and because of Lisa Coleman, the full-time in-store dietitian.

But now, the news was worse. Worse than the earlier misdiagnosis that she needed a liver transplant. Worse than the other health-related problems caused by celiac that led to several surgeries, until, with Coleman’s guidance, she changed her diet and learned how to avoid gluten — not just in foods, but in her medications and even her lipstick.

Now she was told she had thyroid cancer, probably also related to celiac. Her oncologist told her not to lose an ounce.

“What was I going to do?” she says. “There I was in the gluten-free aisle bawling like a baby, and who walks up but Lisa? I was overwhelmed, but she showed me what to do. I even bought an ice cream maker, and she showed me how to mix it with healthy things that I love. I could not afford to lose weight.”

That was more than two years, however, after Buczek’s first encounter with Coleman, who has been Martin’s in-store dietitian for the past four years. That came after she had been told at church about Martin’s growing offering of gluten-free food and the fact that the store even had a dietitian who would help — a godsend, since her health insurance wouldn’t cover the cost of consulting a nutritionist.

So, she went to the store, now part of the Giant-Carlisle chain owned by Quincy, Mass.-based Ahold USA, and visited Coleman’s office next to the customer service counter.

“Lisa dropped what she was doing,” recounts Buczek. “She sat me down and taught me how to read labels, what to watch for. She spent an hour with me. She gave me Web site and book recommendations. She told me I wasn’t crazy, and I can’t tell you what a big help that was. If it wasn’t for Lisa, I don’t know …”

After Buczek tells her story, Coleman explains that the number of gluten-free SKUs carried by Martin’s has gradually grown over the past four years — from the 12-foot section that was there when she arrived, to the 20 feet now provided, plus the frozen gluten-free foods in two freezers in the frozen food aisle, and other products located in the grocery department for the convenience of customers.

For her counseling sessions with customers, arranged by appointment, there’s a charge of $20 for the hour. But then, the customer is handed a $20 Martin’s gift card, so the service is essentially free.

There are recipes at a kiosk and on the company’s Web site, along with an extensive list of gluten-free products that Martin’s carries. Coleman also uses snail mail to personally send announcements to customers on her gluten-free list, letting them know about new products being offered, or alerting them to classes or other events.

Increasing Demand

When it comes to cases of celiac disease or gluten intolerance, “[d]iagnoses are increasing,” notes Coleman. “At least one in 100 people is gluten intolerant, according to the University of Maryland. Everybody is more aware.”

Symptoms can range from diarrhea, weight loss, and malnutrition, to isolated nutrient deficiencies with no gastrointestinal symptoms. Those affected suffer damage to their intestines when they eat specific food-grain antigens found in wheat, rye and barley. Celiac disease can be difficult to diagnose, as was the case for Buczek, and as in her case, can lead to certain cancers if left untreated.

Today, shoppers are not only looking for gluten-free products for themselves because of their celiac disease, but for family and visitors, too, according to Coleman. Many shoppers simply want to avoid gluten when possible as part of what they consider to be a healthier diet. All of that shows up in the numbers, both at Martin’s and industry-wide.

According to The Nielsen Company’s tracking of sales of products that make health-and-wellness claims (food stores with sales of $2 million or more, excluding club stores), both unit and dollar sales of gluten-free products have shown sharp increases over the past two years.

At Martin’s, there are five nutritionists, including Coleman, who work full-time in specific stores. It’s an unusual commitment, but one that appears to be paying off in customer loyalty and, no doubt, cash register rings — although she couldn’t provide specifics.

“But it has increased sales,” she insists. “Hands-down.”

Meijer’s Approach

At the 195-store Meijer chain, Janine Faber, a registered dietitian and one of the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company’s five healthy living advisors, says there’s been a steady increase in questions regarding gluten-free foods, translating into increased offerings and services in Meijer stores.

“We’ve responded by providing education, with special in-store events that are coordinated in all stores on the same day, and staffed with Meijer team members,” she notes. The healthy living advisors stop by as many stores as they can to answer questions and provide assistance.”

During the events, held on Saturdays when stores will be busy, tables with information about specific diseases and possible food solutions are set up throughout the store, with samples and coupons provided as well. Additionally, like many chains, Meijer includes recipes and links to other resources to help consumers.

“Gluten-free products are integrated in the aisles themselves so consumers can shop for people who have this special need, as well as for people who do not,” she says.

Although Meijer doesn’t have in-store nutritionists in individual stores, customers with questions usually visit the pharmacy department, where they may be referred to one of the healthy living advisors or steered to the company’s other information resources.

Gluten Free Food Fest

At Price Chopper, a 128-store chain based in Schenectady, N.Y., Maureen Murphy, manager of nutrition and lifestyles, says offerings of gluten-free products have increased along with customer demand. Some of the company’s stores include gluten-free sections, while others integrate those products within categories storewide. “It depends on the demographics and the demand,” she explains.

Price Chopper runs a popular Gluten Free Food Fest, typically attended by a dietitian who provides information and answers questions, and featuring cooking and baking demonstrations, and sampling with trading partners on hand. The Golub Corp.-owned chain contracts with outside nutritionists who serve as consultants.

Like Meijer and Martin’s, Price Chopper also reaches out to patients through support groups, hospitals, physicians and customer referrals. “We have a lot of people who say they have suffered for years, and as soon as they started following a gluten-free diet, their life has changed,” Murphy says.

Price Chopper provides customers with a list of corporate-brand gluten-free products, and would like to find a reliable resource for nationally branded products as well, according to Murphy.

For a customer with celiac disease, those services are not only helpful, they can also be, quite literally, life-saving, as shown by Buczak’s experience. And for the supermarket that demonstrates such concern, the loyalty and good will generated are virtually unmatched. Buczek will tell you that as well.

Helping Customers with Diabetes

The numbers are frightening. Nearly 8 percent of the population had diabetes in 2007, the latest figures available from the government and the American Diabetes Association, but there are 1.6 million new cases diagnosed every year.

While diabetes can lead to terrible complications and is the seventh-leading cause of death, diabetics can live healthy lives if they properly manage their condition — and that includes paying attention to their diets.

That’s why Price Chopper in mid-May launched a comprehensive integrated diabetes management program, “Diabetes AdvantEdge.” The cornerstone of the program is providing free diabetes medications such as the most commonly prescribed: metformin, glipizide and glyburide. Patients filling those prescriptions also receive free lancets and lancing devices to assist with blood sugar monitoring. In addition, Price Chopper pharmacists, in one-on-one consultations, show patients how to use blood sugar recording logs as communication tools with doctors.

Diabetes AdvantEdge also offers enrollment in an automatic prescription refill program to help patients remain compliant in taking their medications, diabetes-friendly recipes from Eating Well magazine and a diabetes health center online, access to a trained nutritionist by calling a toll-free line or going online, use of the nutritional scoring system NuVal, and coupons and promotions for healthy items, as well as e-mail updates about relevant events such as food tours and cooking classes.

At the Martin’s store in Eldersburg, Coleman is available for customers who stop by her office in the front of the store. “We want to teach our customers with diabetes how they can shop the whole store,” explains Coleman. “They need to learn how to manage their diets. So, we do a lot of counseling and work with area physicians, who send patients here.”

Providing accurate information is essential, she stresses: “As a retailer, we do a lot of education about diabetes, using newsletters and our Web site. And if somebody comes in with a prescription and needs a meter and can’t afford it, we’ll help them get a free one.”

At Meijer, Faber provides advice for patients with diabetes as well. The company provides a diabetes handbook, updated annually, on its Web site, where customers can submit questions to her via e-mail.

As it does for customers seeking gluten-free foods, Meijer offers special in-store events for diabetic shoppers, providing information, food samples and coupons, in addition to advice from team members and healthy living advisors.

“We have a lot of people who say they have suffered for years, and as soon as they started following a gluten-free diet, their life has changed.”

-Maureen Murphy, Price Chopper