Articles

For the past 10 years, an  uncontrollable bacteria has been attacking the Florida citrus industry. Citrus greening is a bacteria that has cut Florida orange production by over 50% and threatens the supply of 100% Florida Orange Juice. Join this webinar to understand the impact of citrus greening on the retail business on a category with high household penetration and nutritional value as well as research underway to combat this bacteria and revitalize the citrus industry.  

From New York Times’ Kim Severson naming mushrooms the “It” vegetable for 2019 to Martha Stewart claiming that mushrooms are the “food of 2019,” mushrooms are certainly having a moment. Grocery buyers are opening their carts up for more mushrooms with sales increasing every year over the past five years. With National Mushroom Month just around the corner, here are some ideas to ignite excitement in your produce department this September. 

Retailers love customers who actively recommend the products and/or services found at their store(s) and these “engaged customers” can play a critical role in the long-term profitability of companies. This pattern of customer activity is based on commitment, loyalty and positive word-of-mouth. But how do you, as a retail dietitian, get shoppers to become your ally and provide positive testimonials? And more importantly, how can you leverage meaningful customer interactions to help show management your value? Here are a few tips:

As we continue to work to best meet retail dietitians’ professional needs, we have several newsworthy updates to share with you our valued members, which are:

I was recently invited, by the Retail Dietitian Business Alliance (RDBA), to speak at their annual Retail Dietitian Exchange. This is an annual event which brings together the membership of the RDBA to exchange “best practices” utilized among its registered dietitian membership in the grocery industry. The RDBA was founded by Phil Lempert, aka “The Supermarket Guru” seven years ago with the mission to “foster the continuing business education and career development of current and future retail dietitians.”

The second of five meetings of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee took place last week, continuing discussion on key topics and points of interest. Within the committee, there are six subcommittees addressing specific topics and following prescribed protocols.

One of the biggest challenges for a retail dietitian is to successfully communicate how their role has a positive impact on the business. Although this may be difficult it is not impossible - if you understand your corporate retail goals and what metrics you should track to show alignment and value. For this reason, a personal profit and loss statement (P&L) can be used to account for how your individual efforts contribute to the department and your company during a certain period of time. Often referred to as a “financial report”, these statements convey the current financial impact of your work and can also help predict the future.

Summer is officially in full swing, bringing warmer weather and longer days. With the change of season, your shoppers may be looking for refreshing options to stay cool. Nothing beats the heat like smoothies that also provide a way to enjoy nutrition at home or on-the-go. 

​​​​​​​I’m an in-store dietitian covering three locations in Nova Scotia, Canada. In my role, I provide a full range of nutrition services, including individual consultations, private “Shop with the Dietitian” sessions, group nutrition workshops and tours.

In your role as a retail dietitian, it is important to have an understanding of key retail finance terms so you can analyze corporate financial statements, know what the overall health of your company is and recognize where your retailer’s strengths and weaknesses are. This information can also help you identify the areas where your work provides value and assist you with defining meaningful measures of success. Let’s start with this basic finance terminology: