Consumers are embracing a "good food equals good health" philosophy, and retailers have reworked their corporate philosophies and store formats to accommodate this movement, according to "What's In Store 2009," the trends report from the International Dairy•Deli•Bakery Association™ (IDDBA). "What's In Store 2009" details ways that health concerns are affecting supermarkets, especially in the prepared foods, dairy, deli and bakery departments.

Smaller Formats
Many retailers of all sizes have been busy creating smaller-format stores, most with names that reflect a fresh, healthy, natural experience, notes the IDDBA. Some industry sources predict the popularity of cavernous mega-stores will be usurped by these smaller-sized express outlets. Express stores have a small footprint, limited product selection and lots of prepared food. Industry observers predict that express stores could increase in number from 20 in 2007 to around 4,000 by 2010.

A Healthy Story
The IDDBA finds that retailers have created a variety of initiatives to cater to customer health interests: health-oriented signage and shelf tags; wellness newsletters; in-store medical clinics, immunizations and health screenings; seminars and consultations with on-staff dietitians and nutritionists; store tours for people with special dietary needs; cooking demonstrations; private label natural and organic products; proprietary labeling systems to distinguish more healthful products; fitness events; community outreach; store Web site links to health information; and customized recipes and meal planners.

Labeling
Labels are getting more crowded with required information, like the Nutrition Facts Panel, and marketing messages like "heart healthy" or "eco-friendly." The Hartman Group's "Pulse Report, Food & Beverage Labeling from a Consumer Perspective" found that 76 percent of consumers who read labels do so because they are trying to eat healthfully. In a survey by The Consumer Network, a vast majority of consumers rated the information on milk and cheese packages as helpful, and a majority rated the information on packaged bread as helpful; but only 12 percent of consumers rated the nutrition information on hot, ready-to-eat foods as helpful.

The IDDBA has identified two food-labeling systems designed to clearly indicate products' nutritional value to consumers, which are moving to the forefront of the retail world. Hannaford Bros.' Guiding Stars, which rates foods with zero (least nutritious) to three stars (most nutritious), is now being licensed and marketed for use by others. Griffin Hospital and Topco Associates are rolling out the NuVal Nutritional Scoring System, which ranks a food or recipe with a score from one to 100, using a weighted formula that evaluates up to 30 nutrients.

When it comes to organics, IDDBA's "What's in Store 2009" finds that consumers often equate "organic" with "healthful," but they also want to save money. This combination of factors has helped create dramatic growth in organic private label sales. Nielsen data show that, in the four-year period ending July 14, 2007, UPC prepackaged organic private label dollar sales increased over 600 percent. As a share of the total organic market, private label organics garnered 14.2 percent in 2007, up from 5 percent four years earlier. Fresh products comprised more than half of all private label organic sales by mid-2007. Top categories include refrigerated milk, remaining refrigerated drinks/shakes, fresh eggs and fresh bread.

"What's In Store 2009" details consumer and industry trends affecting the dairy case, cheese case, bakery and deli/foodservice departments. Its 156 tables, developed in cooperation with leading industry firms and associations, include department sales, per capita consumption, consumer preferences, and random-weight, UPC, and private label sales data. The full report is available from IDDBA. The cost is $99 for IDDBA members and $399 for nonmembers, plus shipping and handling. Purchasers of the report also gain online access to quarterly random-weight sales data throughout the year. For more information or to order, call the IDDBA Education Department at 608-310-5000, or visit www.iddba.org.