Dive Brief:
- Piggly Wiggly Midwest has joined the Healthy Savings program, a national effort to make healthier foods more affordable, according to a press release. All of its locations in Illinois and Wisconsin will offer participating shoppers discounts on healthy foods through the program.
- Shoppers who are part of the program can redeem discounts via mobile app at all 100 stores, with the ability to save up to $50 a week without store coupons.
- Health plans, employers and government entities sponsor Healthy Savings for customers, and its retail network will include more than 22,000 store locations later this year.
Dive Insight:
Clean label eating and fresh foods have become essential for health-focused consumers, and according to recent research from L.E.K. consulting, 63% of consumers want to eat healthy most of the time. However, there remains a perception that eating healthy is expensive, and while that's not entirely true, efforts like Healthy Savings that cut costs on fresh, healthy food are a key tool to help customers feel they can afford to eat healthier.
The Healthy Savings program allows members of a partnering health plan or employer to purchase healthy foods at a drastically reduced cost. About 1 million shoppers have access to the program and as of 2018, customers had saved more than $1.5 million buying healthier foods, according to Solutran, the Minneapolis-based technology company that created the program in 2013. The company estimates that participating shoppers can save about $150 per month on their grocery bill through Healthy Savings.
Select Stop & Shop locations in New York, Western Beef supermarkets, Cub Foods, Marketplace Foods, Giant Food, Pick 'n Save and other U.S. grocery retailers have signed on to the program, demonstrating the increasing importance of healthy eating initiatives nationwide.
Despite strong competition from big-name competitors like Walmart and Lidl, Piggly Wiggly has remained strong in recent years in the South and Upper Midwest. With an effective cost-plus concept and dedication to supporting local communities, "The Pig" has created a tribe of loyal shoppers. Offering the Healthy Savings program will be one more opportunity for the grocer to serve its customers, especially with obesity rates in the Midwest being among the highest in the country.