Supermarkets have long been top of mind when the subject is food and nutrition. Now members of the trade class are working to build on their traditional strength to attain similar status in the field of health and wellness.

Supermarkets have long been top of mind when the subject is food and nutrition. Now members of the trade class are working to build on their traditional strength to attain similar status in the field of health and wellness.

A report by the Food Marketing Institute, based on survey results from 29 chains that operate more than 6,800 stores across the U.S., tracks the intensifying effort to make supermarkets a destination for more than groceries. Most industry leaders grasp the importance of health and wellness programs and the opportunity they represent. Seventy-eight percent of respondents view such initiatives as a social responsibility, 70% cite them as a vehicle for growth, and 63% indicate they are a useful tool for drawing customers.

In light of FMI’s finding that 96% of the companies intend to expand the health and wellness offerings in their stores, it is somewhat surprising that only 54% have established programs for both consumers and employees. While there is clearly a long way to go before the gap between vision and reality is closed, the good news is that supermarket operators that have jumped in are seeing good enough results to up the ante. Sixty-one percent of the retailers surveyed indicate that health and wellness programs and related activities at their companies increased moderately or significantly last year.

Another encouraging sign is that in most instances the decisions about in-store health and wellness initiatives are being made by the people who best understand the issues involved. Pharmacy executives take the lead at 43% of the companies surveyed, nutritionists at 38%. It is striking that at 36% of the chains the chief executive often decides questions about health and wellness programs.

The reliance on pharmacists and dietitians makes sense from several perspectives. Their training equips them to understand the close link between what a person eats and how he or she feels, and the insights that together they provide consumers is the ideal bridge between the different aspects of the supermarket, one that can make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. In addition, the help they offer in negotiating the confluence between health and nutrition serves to augment customer loyalty and create cross-merchandising opportunities.

The emphasis on health and wellness that is taking hold in the supermarket sector is a win-win proposition for members of the trade class and the people who shop there.