Communications

There are many ways social media can be used, and for the Retail Dietitians Business Alliance it’s a valuable way to stay connected to you, our members.

A growing number of consumers are now looking at their diet with not personal health in mind, but also on how their food choices may impact environmental health. With recent media attention on this topic and the release of the 2019 EAT-Lancet Commission report, consumer interest in this topic will likely increase. But what does a sustainable diet truly mean? Here are some considerations for talking about this complex issue in your role as a retail dietitian:

Feeding infants and toddlers can certainly be a challenge for parents but retail dietitians are in a perfect position to provide meal tips and recommendations to encourage optimal nutrition for their little ones. The 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will include birth to 24-month nutrition recommendations. Be prepared to show your shoppers how to put this guidance into practice with the expert advice and products your store(s) have to offer:

I have been the Corporate Dietitian at Redner’s Markets for ten years. During that time, my job has evolved greatly to now include purchasing, operations and marketing. With that being said, I still spend a portion of my time educating customers and doing media presentations.

Thanks to books like Wheat Belly and a plethora of low carbohydrate diet plans that promote the reduction of grains for better health, many grain-based foods have been shunned by consumers. This is frustrating for health professionals who understand that grain foods can provide many nutritional benefits and are enjoyed as components of healthy meals. Supermarkets sell a wide variety of whole, refined and enriched grain products and retail dietitians are often called upon to clarify grain food concerns. By understanding what the research is saying about all grain foods, RDs can successfully communicate meaningful shopper solutions.

If you’re looking for a proven method of increasing reach, engagement and sales via social media you need to use creative imagery. According to MDGadvertising, articles with relevant images have 94% more total average views, however, creating videos or searching for inspiring images can be a time-consuming task. Fortunately, there are several content creation tools now available to help you create eye-catching imagery for effective social marketing posts that drive store traffic to your wellness services and product solutions.

As research grows regarding the important role our gut has in keeping the body healthy, we are seeing many new food products and supplements, claiming to enhance digestive well-being. Retail dietitians need to be prepared to provide evidence-based guidance to both internal merchant teams who may be looking at new items and to shoppers as they navigate the store for gut health solutions. The following discussion points can be used for informing buyers and directing shoppers in food and pharmacy departments:

​​​​​​​Retail Dietitians often face consumers who believe anything but the facts when it comes to food and nutrition and this may be due in part to a lack of critical thinking skills.

I’m fortunate to have my own think tank of colleagues in my local area who challenge me to think about things differently and bring new ideas to the table.  At a recent breakfast with them, we shared a fascinating discussion on the peak-end rule, which promoted today’s article.  Here are five things you need to know about the peak-end rule.