I get more and more excited about the fact that US supermarkets are hiring dietitians. It’s pioneering, and in the last 10 years, we have gone from just a handful of dietitians to hundreds.
What we’re talking about here is a complete change in policy. We have corporate dietitians, and we have them in stores as well, directly engaging with the public. Considering the obesity crisis in the USA, and people’s poor education levels around food, this is brilliant and should be encouraged more.
So what I’m going to do here is talk you through the top 10 reasons why retailers hire these people at all. Of course it’s mainly about making money, but it’s about far more than that when you dig below the surface. If there is a dietician your local supermarket, my advice is that you should make use of them.
1. US Consumers Are Asking For It
Most consumers are getting more health conscious. Look at me. 10 years ago I was a slob.
Now, I’m working out three times per week, and trying really hard to stay in shape physically. Plus, I work hard on my diet as well now. My nutrition is just as important as my physical health.
You can tie into that, the surge in natural bodybuilding supplement sales that is happening in the USA. That’s more evidence that people are looking to only get healthy, but to do everything they can, even exceeding natural abilities to do just that by using supplementation.
2. Registered Dietitians Are Trained In Special Diets & Nutritional Therapy
A dietician is a bit more than someone who tells you what the best foods are, or to eat smart. Most registered dietitians are very highly trained, including nutritional therapy.
Food actually causes significant mental health problems. If you are eating fatty fast foods, full of sugar, salt, and plonking that on top of the poor lifestyle, then you are in danger of suffering from depression and anxiety. That’s where a great dietician can inspire people out and mental health problems.
3. Dietitians Can Increase Customer Loyalty
People like to be made to feel special and invested in. Nothing is going to do that like knowing that your local supermarket is genuinely interested in your health.
Some people are genuinely lost when it comes to learning how to eat better, or how to cope with conditions like diabetes and coeliac disease. The Internet can be problematic, some doctors just do not communicate, which means this gap can be filled by the supermarket dietician.
4. They Can Increase Your Bottom Line
Dietitians encourage people to try new things. Fad foods and eating healthily tend to be more expensive because of the high quality ingredients.
Therefore, placing people in supermarkets to advise ethically, can indeed strengthen your bottom line.
5. Associating Your Food Brand With Health And Wellness Is A Good Thing
Supermarkets sell an awful lot of junk. They are responsible partly for the obesity crisis, alcohol problems, and many other problems like wasting climate change. Although they are trying to change this, it’s very slow progress.
By focusing in on people and problems, and assisting them with health and wellness, it helps to offset this, and gets people thinking not only about healthy lifestyles but issues in the greater world around them.
6. Dietitians Can Help To Decrease Healthcare Costs Inside Your Company And Amongst The Public
The healthcare costs due to sickness are getting worse every year. But that is definitely down to poor lifestyles.
Dietitians can help to lower sickness by advising people on healthier lifestyles and great nutrition.
Not only that, but it can also improve the public image of the company, get the staff on board with promoting the company organically, and of course save the company a considerable sum of money.
7. Dietitians Offer New Solutions For Consumers That Can Benefit Your Profit Margins
When it comes to doing something new and cool, for a lot of people money comes 2nd to getting the experience. That’s the same with food, which is why new fad foods and high quality food get priority supermarket shelf space.
It’s not just about new solutions for things like dinner parties, it’s about solutions to real-world problems.
If your newly diagnosed as a diabetic, then understanding how to manage that can be a nightmare. Same with high blood pressure, same with people with other diseases as well. The dietician can step in and advise those people on how to eat healthy on a budget, and also trade up where appropriate.
8. They Can Provide A Different Dimension To Your Stores
If you’re talking to your friend and you say that you are feeling much better because you spoke to the dietician at your local supermarket, they are going to raise their eyebrows and be interested.
It sounds cool, it sounds good, and it could be beneficial. As it’s free, where on earth could be the problem in trying it?
Dietitians can also offer a different dimension online. Healthy cooking programs, social media engagement, and being part of organic local and national advertising.
9. Dietitians Can Help To Head Off Regulatory Issues
Many dietitians have worked in the food industry for years in various roles. Not only can they spot problems in store, but they can be a great way to feed information back. If they can spot problems with labelling, feedback, and potential regulatory problems, then they can be worth their weight in gold.
10. Dietitians Can Form The Base For In-Store And Online Community Building
Dietitians can be incredible value for community outreach work. They can do guided tours, cooking classes, a destination for people seeking help.
They can go out into the community, participating in local events, and sharing advice. All with your supermarket brand, all with your supermarket products.
If you are intelligent as a company, online and off-line, dietitians can be absolutely central to not only building good relationships with the local community, but also building trust, and creating incredible organic marketing opportunities.
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