EngagingBoostsKids SalesIn Store RETAILERS ARE ATTRACTING YOUNG CONSUMERS TO THE PRODUCE DEPARTMENT WITH ENTERTAINING ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS. By Carol Bareuther, RD omorrow’s consumers are tagging along when their moms percent responded “somewhat important,” according to the 2007 Nation- go food shopping — and they already wield an enormous al Consumer’s Survey from Opinion Dynamics Corp., Cambridge, MA. amount of influence. Retailers are well aware of this phe- Supermarket retailers are now taking these findings to the next level nomenon and have been capitalizing on ways to market by embarking on in-store programs that educate, entertain and encourage directly to kids for years. Consumer packaged goods kids to make healthful food choices. (CPG), with a more consistent product and far less depen- “This is critical because kids are a big influence over their mother’s dence on Mother Nature than the produce industry, have decisions,” notes Roger Pepperl, marketing director for Stemilt Growers, Tled the way since the early days of television. The produce department is relatively new to the game, but it is striving to catch up. The industry made its initial inroads by copying the CPG success using cartoon characters or colorful packaging to draw kids’ attention. Today’s produce departments, however, are utilizing specific programs, contests and other creative marketing tactics specifically designed to entice this profitable group into the department. “We believe a single character or a single promo- tion may increase sales in the short term, but a broad- er strategy to have consistent messaging and com- pelling products will help increase category sales and sustain healthful food choices over the long run,” explains Matthew Caito, CEO, Imagination Farms, LLC, Indianapolis, IN. Drawing kids to fresh fruits and vegetables while educating them on nutritional benefits requires position- ing products and promotions as hip, fun and essential. When asked how important it was for kids to view eat- ing fruits and vegetables as an enjoyable experience, 63 percent of parents answered “very important” and 24 Photo courtesy of Produce for Kids REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM PRODUCE BUSINESS (WWW.PRODUCEBUSINESS.COM) Inc., Wenatchee, WA. “Kids are also our future advocates for better health with the generation consumers. In 30 years, we’re going to need that follows them. It then comes full circle as consumers.” our society grows together from tree to table.” Helping shape kids’ eating habits is part of the industry’s duty to its future consumers, Signature Store Tours explains Pat Steider, president, Summeripe The idea of school kids touring the super- Worldwide, Inc., Dinuba, CA. “As a segment market isn’t new. What is novel is how some of an industry that grows, packs and markets a chains have customized this concept. product that is naturally good for children, we In March 2005, Price Chopper Supermar- must find ways to entice and educate kids and kets, based in Schenectady, NY, kicked off their parents to make better food or snack Supermarket Sleuth: Kids Finding Clues for a choices. If we, as industry leaders, can help Healthy Weight Supermarket Tour for National influence or change the eating habits of chil- Nutrition Month. More than 500 students have dren today, they will not only live a more pro- now taken the tour offered in select stores. PhotocourtesyofSaveMart ductive and healthy life but will also become “We worked with a registered dietitian Save Mart employees serve as Super- Friends to guide groups through the educational supermarket expedition. [RD] to design the tour,” reports Maureen Murphy, consumer services manager. “She made it turnkey and assured the same mes- sages were being taught by putting all the materials to conduct the tour into a binder. Today, all of our tours are led by RDs who work in the regions where we have stores.” Designed for students in grades 4 to 6, the interactive tour begins in the produce depart- ment and lasts 1 hour, 15 minutes. Murphy says, “In produce, we divide kids into groups and send them on a hunt to find something red, green or yellow and have them hold it up. This is how we stress the concept of variety and the importance of eating a rainbow of colors.” The tour winds through the entire super- market, tracing a complete day’s diet in a kid- centric clue-finding way. At the end, each stu- dent is sent back to school with a certificate of completion, a Super Sleuth packet of informa- tion and a fresh fruit or vegetable snack tray for their classroom. “This way, the teacher can review what the students have learned in an unhurried and festive way,” Murphy notes. Even the snack tray is instructive. “We rein- force the color concept,” she notes. “The veg- etable tray may have carrots, red and green peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and grape tomatoes. The fruit tray might offer pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, cantaloupe and grapes.” Save Mart Supermarkets, based in Modesto, CA, offers tours for schools, commu- nity organizations, service groups and clubs, explains Sharon Blakely, food and nutrition supervisor. “Over 100,000 kids have walked the aisle of our stores in a little over nine years. On average about 12,000 kids visit us each year,” she explains. Save Mart employees serve as SuperFriends to guide groups through the educational super- market expedition. On each 45-minute tour, secondary students will tackle topics such as supermarket operations, consumer education, label reading, good eating habits and career possibilities. Younger students find themselves making Super Food Choices from Vitamin Alley, the Protein Palace, Dairy Den and the Great Grains Aisle. According to Blakely, “Over half of the tour Reader Service # 79 REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM PRODUCE BUSINESS (WWW.PRODUCEBUSINESS.COM) more than 25 kids try raw cauliflower. I actual- valu. “It’s a business-size card geared towards ly ran out of cauliflower that story session.” kids five to 12 years old,” says Kimberly A. Kids attending SuperProduce Story Time are Kirchherr, MS, RD, corporate dietitian. “It enti- offered incentives to eat more fruits and veg- tles the cardholder to one red delicious apple or etables. During the activity, each child is one banana per visit. Kids like it because it’s given a sheet labeled Sticking to Fruits and something they can keep and use. And they can Vegetables, which has a space to hold PLU swipe it themselves at the checkout.” stickers from produce they consume. Once The front of the card features a color pic- children collect 25 stickers, they are given a ture of apples and bananas. The back of the piece of produce of their choice. card contains the Fruits & Veggies — More Matters logo and three easy ways kids can eat Kid’s Club Card more produce each day. One of the tips, for Free-fruit cards are a big hit with kids who example, suggests kids try whole fruits or dried Photo courtesy of Save Mart shop with their parents at Chicago, IL-based fruit for a great take-along snack. Save Mart launched its SuperProduce Jewel-Osco, a 184-store chain owned by Super- Kirchherr distributes the cards at health Story Time during summer 2007. is spent in the produce department or Vitamin Alley. In produce, children are introduced to papayas, kiwis and plant parts. When children become familiar with foods, they are more apt to try them.” Retailers who would like to liven up a store tour “can book an appearance by a char- acter like Bobby Banana,” explains David Bright, marketing director for Dole Fresh Fruit Company, Westlake Village, CA. “We use cos- tumed characters as well as coloring sheets, contests and nutrition programs to help retail- ers reach out to school children.” Albertson’s, the Fullerton, CA-based chain owned by Supervalu, Inc., Eden Prairie, MN, recently launched its Healthy Eaters field trip program geared toward children in kinder- garten through fourth grade. During the pro- gram, trained tour leaders focus on several important nutrition-related topics. Lessons include specifics on making healthful choices and reading labels as well as hands-on exer- cises relevant to understanding nutrients, fats and portion sizes. In a press release, Pete Van Helden, presi- dent, Albertson’s Retail West, explained: “As a retail grocer committed to being a leader in the area of health and nutrition, our company understands the long-term importance of pro- viding tools and knowledge to enable our cus- tomers to make healthful life decisions. With the launch of Albertson’s Healthy Eaters program, we are excited about the opportunity to make a significant difference in the health and wellness of the children in the communities we serve.” Produce Story Time Save Mart launched its SuperProduce Story Time during summer 2007. This 30-minute activity, held on Thursdays in July and August, involves a store’s SuperFriend employee read- ing selected children’s books connected to food, nutrition or shopping to kids in preschool through third grade. The produce department activity was very popular and the chain contin- ued it in October and November for its Fall Farmer’s Market promotion. “More than 2,000 kids have attended Super- Produce Story Time,” Blakely reports. “At the conclusion of each book, children are offered a sample of produce related to the story. After reading The Trouble with Cauliflower, we had Reader Service # 27 REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM PRODUCE BUSINESS (WWW.PRODUCEBUSINESS.COM) KID FRIENDLY CAUSE MARKETING arketing efforts aimed at social and other charitable caus- with recipe cards and es are a hot trend. Known as cause marketing, these juicer kits to help them M efforts tie a for-profit business and non-profit organiza- get started.