Coping with a global pandemic for 2+ years has led to greater numbers of consumers eating and drinking in a way that supports their health. It’s also provided a big boost to the food as medicine movement, a specific approach to health and wellness that has significant implications for grocery retailers for years to come.
Food as medicine is a philosophy focused on the belief that food and nutrition can play a major role in helping to prevent disease and illness and help people better manage existing health conditions. It all starts with the choices individuals make during their visits to a grocery store. Is your store meeting the needs of shoppers of all ages who are looking for foods that support immunity and that provide other health-promoting benefits? Are you making it easy for shoppers to not only find these products but put together healthy meals?
“The pattern of consumer attention to health and wellness shows increasing awareness and adaptation across the board,” said Darren Seifer, food and beverage industry analyst at NPD and author of the organization’s America’s Health Pulse report. “This means consumers no longer think of health and wellness as an add-on, but as an integrated part of how they live their lives; that, in turn, opens opportunity for brands to become a permanent solution.”
The food as medicine movement is not focused on weight loss or a particular type of diet or eating plan but rather is based on the basics of good nutrition and ‘functional’ foods that deliver powerful health and wellness benefits. We know that after the pandemic began, consumers that started with comfort food as a way to soothe the stresses of COVID-19 by 2021 had began to be more concerned about nutrition and preventing illness and disease. Half of all food retailers have either significantly or moderately increased their health and well-being programs over the past year to try to keep pace with the changes. Truly capitalizing on the food as medicine movement, however, requires a deliberate, localized and effective approach to product selection and a market-specific assortment strategy and execution at the shelf to drive profits and meet your community’s needs.
Which health-promoting products will resonate with my unique customer base? Having the right assortment analytics, market trends, and business insights can help you understand market trends and make the best decisions possible.
At UNFI Professional Services, we have the product assortment, merchandising strategies, technology, equipment, loyalty programs and much more to help you keep on top of trends, fine-tune your product mix and attract and retain a loyal customer base. Explore all of what we have to offer—visit our newly designed website at Services.UNFI.com.