Albertsons tackles nutrition on various fronts
The value of dietitians is nothing new to officials at Albertsons.
Now, with the pending acquisition of Rite Aid and its Health Dialog subsidiary, which helps implement comprehensive population health management programs, its efforts around nutrition could ratchet up, both at standalone drug units and at the grocery stores.
Albertsons utilizes dietitians in two ways. First, the Boise, Idaho-based grocery chain delivers diabetes and prediabetes tours throughout the year via its contracted network of more than 100 registered dietitians. “Many of them also conduct healthy aging cooking and tasting classes as part of our flu vaccine clinics,” said Chris Irmscher, group director of pharmacy human resources at Albertsons. “We also have a small number of dietitians conducting innovative, themed demonstrations each month.”
Albertsons’ dietitians engage customers through the company’s “Answers in the Aisles” program, where dietitians schedule supermarket walk-throughs to educate participants on how to best fight inflammation through food, how to cook using only low-carb ingredients or how to help manage diabetes through better food choices.
Weight management, diabetes, heart health and COPD all can be improved through the assistance of a dietitian, officials said. “In 2018, we also are on pace to reach more than 5,000 people with prediabetes and diabetes through our ‘Eating Healthy with Diabetes Tours,’” Irmscher said.
“Customer and community response has been extremely positive. As the programs grow and mature, our customers will have access to food and nutrition experts right in the aisles of their favorite neighborhood store,” Irmscher said. “For example, [according to] surveys conducted one month after our ‘Healthy Aging Cooking and Tasting’ pilot class last September, 100% of respondents said attending the complimentary cooking class improved their impression of both the grocery store and pharmacy. About 97% said they changed something about their food choices as a result of the class.”
This year, Albertsons is launching the CDC Diabetes Prevention Program, which is a 16-week program led by a dietitian, along with support from the store pharmacists. “Patients will sample and discover new, healthy foods, and can work with the dietitian to create a more individualized meal/diet assistance, and the pharmacists [are on hand] to better manage health conditions and medication,” Irmscher said.
Now, with the pending acquisition of Rite Aid and its Health Dialog subsidiary, which helps implement comprehensive population health management programs, its efforts around nutrition could ratchet up, both at standalone drug units and at the grocery stores.
Albertsons utilizes dietitians in two ways. First, the Boise, Idaho-based grocery chain delivers diabetes and prediabetes tours throughout the year via its contracted network of more than 100 registered dietitians. “Many of them also conduct healthy aging cooking and tasting classes as part of our flu vaccine clinics,” said Chris Irmscher, group director of pharmacy human resources at Albertsons. “We also have a small number of dietitians conducting innovative, themed demonstrations each month.”
Albertsons’ dietitians engage customers through the company’s “Answers in the Aisles” program, where dietitians schedule supermarket walk-throughs to educate participants on how to best fight inflammation through food, how to cook using only low-carb ingredients or how to help manage diabetes through better food choices.
Weight management, diabetes, heart health and COPD all can be improved through the assistance of a dietitian, officials said. “In 2018, we also are on pace to reach more than 5,000 people with prediabetes and diabetes through our ‘Eating Healthy with Diabetes Tours,’” Irmscher said.
“Customer and community response has been extremely positive. As the programs grow and mature, our customers will have access to food and nutrition experts right in the aisles of their favorite neighborhood store,” Irmscher said. “For example, [according to] surveys conducted one month after our ‘Healthy Aging Cooking and Tasting’ pilot class last September, 100% of respondents said attending the complimentary cooking class improved their impression of both the grocery store and pharmacy. About 97% said they changed something about their food choices as a result of the class.”
This year, Albertsons is launching the CDC Diabetes Prevention Program, which is a 16-week program led by a dietitian, along with support from the store pharmacists. “Patients will sample and discover new, healthy foods, and can work with the dietitian to create a more individualized meal/diet assistance, and the pharmacists [are on hand] to better manage health conditions and medication,” Irmscher said.