“PHA believes that ‘the way it’s always been done’ simply isn’t good enough — it’s what has led to the poor health outcomes so many Americans are facing today.” - Noreen Springstead, PHA’s President and CEO Friend, Connecting every family, in every zip code to good food and beverages is no small feat. It requires every part of our food system — including food manufacturers, grocery stores, and people like you and me — to come together to stand for food equity. One of the ways we’re transforming the food landscape is by pushing businesses to provide healthier products and make it easier for families to find those products when they’re shopping. That’s why we partnered with Stop & Shop and Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) on an innovative pilot program to market healthier beverage options in an under-resourced community. |
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The pilot tested in-store marketing and merchandising strategies for four months by prioritizing the placement of KDP’s Better-For-You beverages in a Stop & Shop location in Boston, Massachusetts. During the pilot program, beverage sales – and better-for-you beverage sales – increased. Sales of Guiding Stars products, which are products that have 1, 2, or 3 stars based on Stop & Shop’s easy-to-use rating system that helps customers make nutritious choices, also showed solid growth at the pilot store. And sales of KDP Guiding Stars products in particular increased significantly. In short, we found that when healthier options are more heavily promoted and more visible, more people will choose them. |
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“It’s not easy to change an entire system overnight,” said Kellie Ebert, Sr. Director of National Accounts. “This pilot was important to KDP to demonstrate that we can offer a broad, well-balanced product portfolio with options that provide nutritional and functional benefits, in addition to reduced sugar and calories to consumers, while also delivering positive results for our business.” |
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These results were impacted by a store remodel and grand reopening during that same time period, so further testing is needed to determine the precise impact. However, we’re so inspired by confirmation that marketing healthy options to consumers has the potential to improve health and reduce diet-related disease. We now have a baseline for how to think bigger and bolder, and to continue improving health outcomes for Americans everywhere. Together, we are getting closer to food equity one step at a time! Thank you for supporting our work to transform communities, 
Jason Wilson
Head of Communications
Partnership for a Healthier America |
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