Retail Industry Insights

2017 marks the third annual National Family Meals Month™ (NFMM) celebrated each September. 

If you ask consumers about their comfort level in the meat department you’ll hear a variety of responses with most comments centered around their confusion. From what cuts of beef to use in recipes to how to store seafood, shoppers are looking for guidance that helps move them from confusion to confidence when purchasing and preparing tasty and nutritious meals that include meat, poultry and seafood.

Meal delivery kits are gaining popularity as consumers are seeking to strike a balance between home-cooked meals and convenience. Pre-portioned, relatively affordable, and delivered straight to the doorstep, it is understandably easy to overlook a few shortcomings. 

Whether you work as a store dietitian or serve in a corporate or regional role, it’s important to understand the priorities of a store director so you can be an effective partner with advancing retail initiatives. The following interview with Mary Kruck, Store Director at Coborn’s in Isanti, Minnesota provides some valuable insights.

At Monsanto, we recently highlighted several key developments in our R&D pipeline – including work in data science, plant breeding, plant biotechnology, crop protection and ag biologicals. We invest in these projects to help farmers improve their productivity regardless of where they farm, the size of the operation or agricultural practices they choose to deploy.

Sitting down for a family meal can be one of the best part of the day. However, making the time for family meals can be difficult for shoppers.

Many supermarket dietitians work with their pharmacy department on projects relating to disease management but a deeper understanding of the clinical side of the pharmacy business can help identify additional opportunities for meeting customers’ health and wellness needs and expand community outreach.

Today’s shopper seeks greater transparency to how food items are grown and produced, creating exciting opportunities for retail dietitians to engage with shoppers on the quality, safety, and sustainability of foods and their ingredients. As the plant-based eating trend continues to grow, consider sharing the following insights on tofu production with your shoppers.

The growth and expansion of health and wellness programs at retail is predicted to continue as supermarkets capitalize on their capabilities to provide solutions that meet consumer needs within the changing healthcare environment.

The perimeter of the store is quickly becoming a point of differentiation for supermarkets and understanding how fresh departments operate is key for retail dietitians who want to engage this area of the store in health and wellness initiatives.