Food-as-medicine is far from a new trend in the grocery industry, but its importance has only grown amongst consumers.
Between the pressures on SNAP and similar food assistance benefits and the rise of GLP-1 medications, health and wellness initiatives have had to expand to focus on food accessibility and meeting specific dietary needs — all without breaking shoppers’ budgets.
A majority of food industry companies (96%) have established nutrition, health and well-being strategies — a “sharp advance from the research two years ago,” according to a recent report from FMI — The Food Industry Association. Over the past year, grocers have also made moves to further link their food retail and pharmacy businesses as well as better position themselves as health and wellness experts.
Here’s a look at what grocers have done in recent months to show customers they can link value with health and wellness initiatives.
