Supervalu Adds Color to Dietary Guidelines
At its Acme and Farm Fresh chains on the East Coast, Minneapolis-based Supervalu Inc. has rolled out a newly expanded in-store color-coded better-for-you food finder – Nutrition iQ – and an education initiative called “Colors in Your Carriage” to help grocery shoppers navigate the aisles while meeting their nutrition needs.
Both chains have offered color-coded nutrition tags on more than 2,500 center store food items since last year. The nutrition iQ program was developed and implemented in collaboration with Joslin Clinic, part of an academic medical center affiliated with Harvard Medical School in Boston, and features color-coded shelf tags that serve as at-a-glance cues to help shoppers identify and find better-for-you food options.
The Nutrition iQ program has now extended to include signage in the fresh produce, meats, bakery and seafood sections. These colored tags highlight key nutrients and health attributes in foods families enjoy every day. For example, dark orange tags highlight whole grain foods and yellow tags point out products that are good sources of protein. To bring it to life and teach shoppers how to create meals this way, Acme and Farm Fresh’s Facebook pages will offer recipes and weekly tips from Supervalu registered dietitian Jennifer Shea.
“Our shoppers are looking for information they can trust when it comes to which foods they should include as part of a healthy diet. We know how important it is to provide straight talk on what to eat to help clear the confusion,” Shea said. “Nutrition iQ can help people more easily achieve the 2010 Dietary Guidelines. Our goal is to make good eating enjoyable and to help consumers really understand how to shop, what to buy and how to prepare quick meals their family will enjoy.”
Shea will share weekly advice for navigating the aisles throughout the months of May and June online, including a video grocery tour, weekly meal suggestions and other cooking and shopping tips. “I hope the Colors in Your Carriage education initiative inspires people this spring to try new colorful and delicious meal ideas and enjoy the array of seasonal selections that make good eating an adventure,” she said. “Cooking and eating healthfully are my passion and sharing ideas with one another truly make all the difference for an easy shopping experience.”
Established in 1891, Acme Markets operates 117 stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. Formed in 1957 as a neighborhood grocery store, Farm Fresh Food & Pharmacy operates 43 stores in Virginia and North Carolina.