A retailers role in healthy eating

Gill FineHead of Food & Health

• The role of a supermarket in healthy eating

• What do consumers want?

• How does Sainsbury’s respond to consumer needs?

• What challenges do we face ?

Overview

• As a nutritionist working for Sainsbury’s

• Over 460 supermarkets in the UK

• Average 22,000 products (12,000 own label food lines)

• 10.8 million customers each week

Perspective

• Wide choice of good quality products

• Information

• Meet the needs of a diverse customers base

The role of a supermarket in healthy eating

• 1994

- Guidance on fat levels

- Bold descriptions for low fat foods

- Benchmarks

- Nutrition information they can use

- Proof that healthy eating is enjoyable, convenient and affordable

- Ideas, suggestions and recipes

What do consumers want?

• 1996: Clarity in nutrition claims

• 1998: Fat is No.1 concern

• 1999: ‘Natural’

• 2000: Help with children’s food choices

• 2001: Increased interest in diet & health,(calories, food intolerances,dietary balance)

• 2002: Help with eating more fruit & vegetables

What do consumers want?

How does Sainsbury’s respond to consumer needs ?1. Easy to use nutrition information

- Full nutrition labelling

- Priority claims system

2. Help & advice

- Instore food advisers

- Healthy eating leaflets

- “Free from” guides

- Internet site

3. Sainsbury’s aim to make healthier eating easier & enjoyable for all our customers

-General healthy eating

-Special dietary needse.g. pregnancy,vegetarians, foodintolerance

How does Sainsbury’s respond to consumer needs ?

• Fat is No.1 customer dietary concern

•Variety of claims

•Hard to find lower fat foods

• Lower fat equates to lower taste

•Solution: Distinctive lower fat sub brand ‘Be Good To Yourself’

Lower fat

•Parents concern about children’s diets

- Fat, salt, sugar / artificial sweeteners

- Additives

- Meat quality

- Eating more fruit & vegetables

Help with children’s foods

•Parents want foods that are:

- Quick and easy for a variety of eating occasions

- Quality products that appeal to kids

- Helping make healthier eating fun

•Kids (aged 7-11) want foods that are:

- Just for them

- ‘Cool’ & Tasty

- Easy to eat

Help with children’s foods

• Launch March 2001

• 250 products across all categories

• Strict ingredient & nutrition criteria

• Improved labelling & communication

• Beady eye promise, check list, fun facts

• Hyperactive Children’s supportgroup statement

Help with children’s foods- Blue Parrot Café Range

Food and Nutrition Education

1. National Food Award Scheme – welcomed by DfES

2. Product Development Website – written approved by NGfL

3. Teacher training sessions

Sainsbury’s ‘Taste of Success’ Scheme(in partnership with British NutritionFoundation & Design and Technology Association)

• Allergen labelling

• Better choice of foods free from gluten, wheat or dairy

• ‘FreeFrom’ Range June 2002

• ‘Health Foods ‘ section

Food Intolerance & ‘Health Foods’

•Key part of general healthy eating - recipes, promotions

•Support Fruit provision & information in school - Fruit plus, Fruitastic tours, Taste of success case study

•Way to Five range June 2002

Eating more fruit & veg

Challenges in healthy eating

•Delivering products & services to meet diverse consumer needs

• Level of consumer understanding of diet & health

•Providing innovative products & consumer friendly information within the existing regulatory framework

Innovative products :Foods with added health benefits

•Cautious approach to their introduction in UK

•Marketed with integrity-collaboration

•Work closely with regulatory authorities and suppliers

•Need to ensure total integrity of claims

•Meet our customers needs

How does Sainsbury’s work with the key brands• Previously had a checklist- evidence for claim- labelling info (ingredients, claim etc)- home authority support- customer literature- Q & As (inc special dietary needs)- health professional communications- careline details

• Now JCHI

1. Joint leaflet

Partners: Actimel, Benecol, Columbus Eggs,Flora Proactiv, Yakult

Aim: To Reinforce role of diet in optimisinghealth & help position ‘foods with

addedhealth benefits’ within context of

healthyeating

Sainsbury’s partnership activities

2. Store tours

Key partners: Flora Proactive & State Registered Dietitians

Aim: Help consumers interested in heart health

to understand the role of diet in hearthealth

- Dietitians as impartial information source

- 300+ tours in September / October 2000

- Instore literature

Sainsbury’s partnership activities

Conclusions

• The three way approach proved very successful, as it ensured independence and credibility of message

• Healthy Heart Store Tours increased interest in and encouraged a switch to cholesterol lowering spreads

• The supermarket setting of the tours proved to be a useful environment for consumers to learn more about how to make a healthier food choices and about the role of functional foods as part of a healthy diet

• The results suggested that the tours were an effective communication tool and helped stimulate the desire to make diet and lifestyle changes in order to help maintain heart health

• Wide choice of good quality products

• Provide information

• Meet diverse customer needs

Sainsbury’s integrity based approach to healthy eating is to work in partnership to deliver

innovative products & services that meet thefood & health needs of our customers

The role of the retailer

A retailers role in healthy eating