Retail Dietitians Get New Resource to Better Educate Shoppers

In light of disrupted health and eating patterns over the past year and a half, the Retail Dietitians Business Alliance (RBBA) and the nonprofit government-based Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA (FDA Foundation) have created a new toolkit for retail dietitians to use in their educational outreach with consumers.

The free toolkit, “Supporting Healthier Eating in the New Normal: The Ultimate Retail Dietitians Toolkit,” is available on the RDBA website and includes fact sheets, interactive quizzes, recipes, social media templates, virtual tour ideas and other resources. The content is based on the latest nutrition and scientific information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, among others.

"The timing is right for this new resource," said Susan C. Winckler, CEO of the Washington D.C.-based FDA Foundation. "Our research around COVID-19 health messengers showed that consumers have high trust in their local health professionals. We're excited to partner with RDBA to support retail dietitians in their critical outreach to consumers and communities."

Phil Lempert, president and CEO of Santa Monica, Calif.-based RDBA, agrees that consumers have reprioritized wellness and nutrition and are seeking more information from trusted sources.  "Now more than ever shoppers are asking questions about how the foods they consume can not only promote good health, but can also help prevent or manage chronic disease," he remarked. "Through this partnership with the FDA Foundation, we are putting turnkey resources at the fingertips of the Retail RDs who are on the frontlines in stores across the country."