Health Magazine Ranks Safeway #2 and Says the Company’s
Online FoodFlex Program is “like having your
own registered dietician.”
Health magazine, one of the most respected consumer publications
focused on health and wellness, named Safeway Inc. (NYSE:SWY) one of “America’s
Healthiest Grocery Stores” in the November
2008 issue. Safeway was ranked Number 2 in the top-10 list of what the
magazine called “standout supermarket chains”
that are “leading the way to healthier food
shopping.”
“We are honored to be recognized for our
commitment to providing the best food options at affordable prices,
making organics accessible to everyone and helping to make health and
wellness not just a catch phrase, but a way of life,”
said Mike Minasi, President of Marketing.
For the article, six prominent health experts reviewed the 35 largest
food retailers in the U.S. and selected the healthiest based on criteria
that included freshness of produce, the quality of prepared foods, the
health attributes of packaged goods and the availability of supplemental
nutritional information.
Members of the panel — which included four
noted registered dieticians, a clinical professor of pediatrics, and an
expert on community health — praised Safeway
for its popular O Organics and Eating Right brands. O
Organics, a line of premium-quality, USDA-certified organic foods, is
the best-selling brand of organic products in the country. Eating Right,
a line of better-for-you packaged foods and frozen entrees, highlights
the products’ health attributes on the
packaging in user-friendly “spot your needs”
dots.
The article also noted that many stores have undergone a transformation
to offer an expanded produce section. Safeway has made these changes as
it has rolled out its Lifestyle store remodel program. Each store is
dramatically redesigned with earth-toned décor,
subdued lighting and special features that significantly enhance the
shopping experience. The stores are designed to provide customers with
the finest, freshest products available in the produce, meat, seafood,
bakery, deli, food service and floral departments.
The judges were particularly impressed with the company’s
online FoodFlex program, which analyzes the nutrition content of a
customer’s grocery basket at Safeway based on
USDA guidelines and identifies heart healthy alternatives as defined by
the American Heart Association.
