FMI report: More supermarkets investing in health offerings

ARLINGTON, Va. — Supermarkets have continued to evolve their healthcare offering with an emphasis on convenience in the past year, metamorphosing into a one-stop shop for all things health with the growth of in-store clinics, for example. As many as 70% of supermarket operators responding to this year's Retail Contributions to Health and Wellness report from the Food Marketing Institute reported that in-store clinics have been expanded into some or all stores, an increase from 40% only a year ago. 

 

And the link between pharmacy and food continues to become stronger, the report found. In addition to employing pharmacists, 95% of grocery stores surveyed employ dietitians. About half (48%) of survey respondents said supermarket dietitians and pharmacists are working together to make customer-specific recommendations; fifty-two percent of them say they are referring customers/patients to each other for counsel.

 

In addition, more than half (54%) of grocers surveyed have established health-and-wellness programs for both customers and employees. The majority of these programs include community health events, product sampling, healthy recipes, store tours, cooking demonstrations and health screenings.

 

And a majority of supermarkets (76%) have added a chef at all or some stores. Three-out-of-four grocery store respondents offer cooking classes to shoppers with the majority of classes geared towards dietary needs, such as diabetes. In addition, 63% of stores provide weight-management classes for adults.