Natural Grocers Proves Eating Healthy Can be Affordable

Originally introduced in April 2020 to help fight food insecurity during the height of the pandemic, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Inc. has decided to make the good4u Meal Deal program a mainstay for its stores. Natural Grocers good4u Meal Deals provide {N}power members with simple, affordable and nutritious recipes for themselves and their families.

"A lot of people think that healthy means expensive. But at Natural Grocers that is not true, and it has never been the case. We are committed to supporting the health and well-being of our communities with food and supplements at an Always Affordable Price. We always look for creative ways to give our customers even more value and avenues to support their health and well-being," explained Natural Grocers Co-President Kemper Isely.  "When the pandemic hit, we knew finances would get tighter for our communities, and our goal was to help ensure that our customers could afford to feed their families with nutritious, satisfying meals that were easy to whip up in their kitchens. With the positive response the program has received, we decided to keep it as part of our good4u commitment to our communities."

Members of {N}power, Natural Grocers' loyalty program, can choose from a rotating selection of meals and price points, all of which include protein and only organic vegetables to maximize nutritional value. The following Meals Deals are available at the organic and natural grocery retailer now through Oct. 31:

• Feed your family of four a Grilled Chicken Meal for under $13: Mary's Free Range and humanely raised whole chicken, with organic russet potatoes and seasonal vegetables: organic zucchini through Sept. 30, changing to organic carrots in October.
• Feed your family of four a Burger Meal for under $12: Sustainably sourced and humanely raised Thousand Hills Grass Fed 80/20 Ground Beef, Rudi's hamburger buns or Canyon Bakehouse gluten-free buns, organic red and green leaf lettuce, and organic beefsteak tomatoes. Customers can make it vegan for under $16 by replacing the ground beef with Beyond Meat beef-free burgers.
• Feed your family of six a Frittata Meal for under $12: Natural Grocers Brand pasture-raised organic eggs, Niman Ranch pork breakfast sausage or Field Roast Apple & Maple plant-based breakfast sausage, and Organicgirl baby spinach.
• Feed your family of four a Chicken Drumstick Dinner for under $8: Mary's Free Range and humanely raised chicken drumsticks, organic carrots, and organic russet potatoes.
• Feed your family of four a Sausage & Veggie Bake for under $10:  Pederson's kielbasa, fresh organic cauliflower and broccoli, or Natural Grocers Brand frozen organic cauliflower florets and broccoli florets. Customers can make it vegan for under $13 by replacing the kielbasa with Beyond Sausage in either original or hot Italian varieties.

"To us, family means all of you, our customers. We deliberately chose the name ‘Feed Your Family’ because of its significance to us – family extends beyond the traditional meaning of the word,” said Isely. “We want to make it easy to feed the ones you love, whether they are your actual family, your friends, your neighbors, your pets, etc. All of our customers and good4u Crew members are part of our extended family, and we have worked hard every day for the past 66 years to give ‘Our Family’ the best food options at the best prices possible. Meal Deals are just another way we are able to do this."

Past Natural Grocers Good4u Meal Deals have included chili, lentil soup, tacos, enchiladas and quinoa bowls, with special editions for Mother's Day brunch and Movie Night at Home. Select accompanying recipes can be found in Natural Grocers' recipe library.

In addition to the new Meal Deals program, the company is committed to helping community members gain access to nutritious food. The organic and natural grocery retailer has raised more than $800,000 in its efforts to fight food insecurity from August 2020 through July 2021. The donation translates to more than 3.2 million meals for people in need.

The retailer is also continuing its 20-year practice of donating 5 cents to a local food bank every time a customer uses a reusable bag to shop. Additionally, from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, customers can donate $1, $5 or $10 at the register to help those experiencing food insecurity in their communities.

With 161 stores in 20 states, Lakewood, Colo.-based Natural Grocers is No. 95 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer's 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.