LANDOVER, Md., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumers looking to keep their New Year's resolution to eat healthier in 2009 need look no further than their local Giant Food store. Giant Food today announced the launch of Healthy Ideas, a new [on-shelf] symbol to help customers easily identify foods that are healthy.
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The Healthy Ideas symbol, which can be found on-shelves in 182 Giant Food stores located in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Delaware, identifies foods based on the USDA/FDA's definition of "healthy," the federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid.gov.
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"People are concerned about their health more than ever," said Carolyn O'Neil, M.S., R.D. author of "The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous!," who is partnering with Giant Food to educate customers about Healthy Ideas. "Healthy Ideas is more than a symbol, it's a lifestyle choice that allows customers to easily identify foods that are truly healthy for their family every time they shop. By helping customers simply select foods that are healthy Giant Food can be a much needed resource in a marketplace cluttered with information about healthy eating."
According to a recent study, 80 percent of customers are more concerned about health, nutrition and fitness than they were a year ago (CBI Research) with many customers looking to their local supermarkets to advise them about their food choices. A 2006 survey conducted by the Food Marketing Institute and Prevention magazine reported that 73 percent of shoppers expressed interest in receiving nutrition guidance from their supermarket through "signs indicating healthy food choices."
To take the guesswork out of making healthy food choices, Giant Food has placed Healthy Ideas symbols on more than 3,000 items and shelf tags throughout its stores. The new symbol identifies foods that have less fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. It also ensures that foods bearing the Healthy Ideas symbol are a good source of at least one nutrient (protein, fiber, vitamins A or C, or the minerals, calcium or iron). The Healthy Ideas symbol also is beginning to appear on qualifying corporate brand products.
"As a working mom with two young boys, I don't always have time to inspect every nutrition label I put in my grocery cart," said Andrea Astrachan, consumer advisor at Giant Food. "Like many of our shoppers, I'm concerned about providing my family with nutritious, affordable meals, so now I only have to look for one symbol to be able to make healthier choices through the aisles."
The power of Healthy Ideas lies in the strength of its criteria which was developed by a team of nutritionists and reviewed by an advisory panel of registered dietitians and nutrition experts. Research played a critical role in the development of the symbol, which uses Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the USDA Food Pyramid (Mypyramid.gov) and the USDA/FDA's definition of healthy as a basis for its foundation.
"Giant is committed to helping our customers make healthy food choices," said Robin Michel, executive vice president and general manager for Giant Food. "Healthy Ideas makes it easy for our customers to make good choices when shopping for their families."
Healthy Ideas criteria are based on the federal definition of a "healthy" food which must:
-- Be limited in total fat
-- Be limited in saturated fat
-- Be limited in cholesterol
-- Be limited in sodium
-- Contain at least 10 percent of the Daily Value for one or more of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, protein or fiber
Additionally, since the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting trans fat and sugar consumption, Healthy Ideas includes additional criteria for artificial trans fat and sugar, taking into account the inclusion of natural sugars in the appropriate food categories.
The introduction of the Healthy Ideas symbol is one of many recent changes at Giant Food, which includes a fresh new look, introduction of new in-store features, such as the ORDER IT! deli kiosks, the SCAN IT! hand-held scanners and parent-friendly checkout lanes. To learn more visit www.giantfood.com.
To schedule an interview with Andrea Astrachan, Consumer Advisor for Giant Food, or Robin Michel, Executive Vice President and General Manager for Giant Food, please contact Jamie Miller at 301-341-8776.
About Giant Food
Giant Food LLC, headquartered in Landover, MD, operates 182 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia, and employs approximately 21,000 associates. Included within the 182 stores are 163 full-service pharmacies. For more on Giant, visit www.giantfood.com.
SOURCE Giant Food LLC
