Waitrose is to deploy dedicated 'healthy eating specialists' into its stores to help customers make better food choices.
The supermarket has appointed 100 of the specialists, whose task it will be to direct shoppers towards healthier options in store. Some 11 will be in place by May, with the rest deployed by the end of the year.
It comes as Waitrose revealed the results of a consumer survey into attitudes towards health and wellbeing, which showed that many people equate healthiness with an overall sense of wellbeing and happiness rather than simply dieting or exercise.
The survey of 2,000 people revealed that the most common motivator for getting healthy is seeing an unflattering photo of oneself or no longer fitting into an item of clothing. A so-called ‘tombola birthday’ - one ending in a zero or five - is a big driver to getting healthy, as is a special event such as a wedding.
Social media also plays a part in Brits' attitude towards health, the research found, with almost one in ten of those surveyed saying that seeing friends online being healthy motivated them to get started. For 18-24 year olds, social media’s influence was higher, with almost a fifth saying it would kick start a new approach to health.
As well as the healthy eating specialists, Waitrose announced a series of other initiatives, including expanding its trial of personal nutrition consultations outside of London, launching a new magazine called Waitrose Health to appeal to those aspiring to a healthier lifestyle and putting its new Good Health mark on more than 1,600 lines.
It has also launched a 'Beautifully Simple' campaign using a series of recipes to inspire customers to cook everyday meals with a small number of fresh ingredients, and is increasing the amount of health information available to customers, including tips and inspiration, advice and classes.
'Many shoppers have the best intentions to be healthier but busy lives get in the way,' saidMoira Howie, nutrition and health manager at Waitrose.'We know that small steps, top tips and nuggets of good advice can help them get started and importantly stay on track. Research shows that changes do not have to be radical to have a positive effect and can have a lasting impact on health.”
