Retail Industry Insights

Last week, more than 250 retail dietitians and 50 sponsor representatives plus nearly 40 presenters came together to discuss how to pave the way for a new era of retail health and wellness programming. As the only event this year with education specifically designed for retail dietitians, the program offered more than 22 education sessions and up to 12 continuing education credits.

After a long winter of staying indoors and preparing endless meals, consumers are looking forward to not only a new season, but some fresh meal inspiration.

Private brand products continue to be a priority for retailers as they provide both differentiation and profit to the company. Through their health and wellbeing initiatives, retail dietitians can increase private brand awareness and credibility while educating shoppers on how to use products to reach personalized wellness goals. Here are some strategies for integrating private brands into educational selling programs to increase sales and basket size:

The COVID pandemic has impacted our world and that of our customers in so many ways. One significant change is the increase in food and nutrition insecurity. This article explores the actions that retail dietitians can take to support food insecure shoppers as shared in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation’s recent webinar - Improving Food and Nutrition Security in America: An Opportunity for Food Retail Dietitians.

There has been a lot written and discussed about how COVID-19 exposed the supply chain, how transportation flaws forced the surge in oat milk sales and how being stuck at home fueled the sales of baker’s yeast, flour and bread making machines. There is a lot more to the story that will, perhaps, change the way supermarket shelves look in the future.

We’re all aware that consumers’ food purchase, preparation and consumption habits have changed dramatically during the past nine months. One of the unintended consequences of these changes is trash. Residential trash volume spiked as much as 25% this spring, according to the trade group Solid Waste Association of North America. Everything from a reduced use of recyclable bags to a return to using single use plastics to an increase in deliveries has added to the problem. Empty pizza boxes, Amazon cartons, Styrofoam containers, and layers and layers of bags are causing household trash cans to overflow in this new stay-at-home era.

IFIC research shows that improving and maintaining health are the top incentives for choosing nutrient-dense foods and beverages. But choosing the right foods isn’t as easy as people think. That’s where supermarket RDs come in. 

In August and September of 2020, the Retail Dietitians Business Alliance conducted a survey of retail dietitians to capture insights on retail dietitians’ roles, job satisfaction, shopper engagement and how your roles have shifted this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.  In total, 119 retail RDs completed the survey.  Today, we're sharing the survey results.

With tens of thousands of food products available in today’s supply chain, the challenge for most retailers is offering the right assortment of products that continue to meet their shoppers’ needs and draw new customers to their stores. This requires retailers to be highly effective at assortment optimization. Here are five things you need to know about assortment optimization.

Food allergy shoppers may be experiencing additional stress during this time. As a retail dietitian, there are many ways you can stay connected with shoppers to provide support, alleviate concerns and stress.