United Banners Celebrate National Nutrition Month
To help shoppers actively engage in National Nutrition Month, United Supermarkets is offering a variety of initiatives aimed to make healthy shopping effortless and gathering nutritional knowledge simple.
“We offer our guests fresh, high-quality products and nutritional expertise as they shop in hopes of making their grocery shopping experience a well-informed and successful one,” said Robin Hawkins, director of health and wellness for United Supermarkets, LLC. “The health and wellness of our guests and team members are always a top priority. We’re committed to leading our industry by example and supporting the specific health and wellness needs of our communities.”
Recently launched in Market Street’s newest store in Lubbock, Texas, and soon rolling out in other stores, United’s new shelf tag program features “healthy attributes” that identify products in 10 different categories, such as low-sodium, heart-healthy, organic and gluten-free, among others. The new tagging system is designed to help guests easily spot foods that meet specific nutritional needs.
Shelf tags also include the NuVal nutritional scoring system, which rates the nutritional value of foods throughout the store on a scale of 1 to 100. In 2010, United became the first grocery chain in Texas to implement the NuVal system.
Supplementing the NuVal system is United’s own “Dietitian’s Top Pick” program, which highlights the highest scoring products in each food category and rotates throughout the year.
“This program has been a hit with our guests and has had a positive impact on store sales,” Hawkins noted.
Due to the success and demand for healthy store tours, Market Street has increased the number of dietitian-led store tours to help guests learn how to best support their specific dietary needs and achieve their overall health goals. Guests can view the schedule and register online or in stores for tours which cover a variety of nutrition topics, including:
• Healthy Shopping 101
• Easy Diabetes Shopping
• Healthy Heart Cart
• Hunt for Good Nutrition (kid-friendly)
• Living Gluten- and/or Dairy-Free
Additionally, Market Street has expanded its Living Well menu with items inspired by corporate chef Chris Wilson. Living Well items are prepared fresh daily, rotate seasonally and contain 500 calories or less, as well as zero grams of trans fat. For guests looking for greener options, Market Street’s salad bar offers a wide variety of fresh ingredients to choose from and rotates its offerings on a seasonal basis.
Online, guests can take advantage of the expertise of United’s four corporate dietitians through its Ask the Experts service, along with the Living Well Blog, which offers tips and tricks on living and eating healthy.
“We aim to be a one-stop health and wellness destination for our guests,” added Hawkins. “Especially during National Nutrition Month, we want to ensure we’re providing our guests and team members with the tools and knowledge they need to achieve their nutritional requirements and goals.”
Now in its 97th year of operation, United Supermarkets, LLC, is a Texas-based, family-owned grocery chain with stores in 30 markets across north and west Texas. A self-distributing company with its headquarters in Lubbock and distribution centers in Lubbock and Roanoke, United currently operates 51 stores under four distinct formats: United Supermarkets, Market Street, Amigos United and United Express.