Mission for Nutrition, the National Nutrition Month promotion from Healthy Family Project, features tools and opportunities for retail dietitians.
Online resources that Healthy Family Project offers for retail dietitians include family-friendly recipes; info sheets on produce fun facts and what’s in season; printables like word searches and coloring sheets; infographics to inspire different takes on classic dishes like sandwiches, soups and burgers; and much more.
One new asset is a guide on hosting virtual events, created by former ShopRite dietitian Julie Harrington.
“A lot has shifted in how retail dietitians interact with shoppers during the pandemic,” Harrington said in a news release. “This year’s Mission for Nutrition is geared to help put retail dietitians in the spotlight and reenergize their presence with their shoppers.”
Healthy Family Project is encouraging retail dietitians to host an online cooking class, create a display or host a dry demo and share their efforts on social media with the hashtag #MissionforNutrition. Those who do so will be entered to win a $1,000 continuing education scholarship, which previous winners have used to attend relevant tradeshows, workshops and conferences, according to the release.
Healthy Family Project surveyed retail dietitians in late 2020 and found that many are positioned to influence purchases in the following ways:
- 56% can host a Facebook Live event
- 67% have an e-newsletter where they can share information with shoppers
- 90% can distribute materials to shoppers
- 85% have space in stores to showcase information
“Over and over, we are hearing that families are feeling burned out from cooking out home,” Trish James, vice president of Healthy Family Project, said in the release. “Mission for Nutrition can help by introducing new ways of meal planning to alleviate stress, offer new inspiration and give families tools, like shopping lists and recipes, that make mealtime easier.”
Healthy Family Project has partnered with more than 400 retail dietitians across 52 retailers in the U.S. and Canada for the Mission for Nutrition campaign. Supplier brand partners include Bee Sweet Citrus, Eat Smart, NatureFreshFarms, Pero Family Farms, Sage Fruit, RealSweet and Crisp Green Crispy Fruit.