Food Lion has launched a pilot ‘food pharmacy’ to address food insecurity and provide smart food choices for customers with chronic health conditions.
Under a two-year programme with Novant Health’s New Hanover Regional Medical Centre in Wilmington, North Carolina, Food Lion said it will distribute approximately 3,000 boxes of shelf-stable, nutritious food.
The initiative aims to ensure that participants have access to wholesome food and encourage them to make healthy lifestyle choices to achieve sustainable health.
Food Lion Launches “FOOD PHARMACY PILOT PROGRAM”
Novant Health dietitians and other Tri-State Integrated Health Network experts will assess eligible patients. Matt Yates, vice-president of brand strategy at Food Lion, based in Salisbury, North Carolina, said in a statement.
Through our Food Pharmacy programme, we are bringing nutritious food to our neighbours to help them manage their chronic diseases and grow towards success.
The programme utilises the Guiding Stars food labelling system from Food Lion’s parent company, Ahold Delhaize USA.
This three-star rating system is designed to help shoppers quickly assess the health benefits of foods and follow doctor-prescribed dietary guidelines, giving one star for good, two stars for good and three stars for best nutritional value.
According to Food Lion, the food pharmacy boxes contain information on shelf-stable foods such as milk, oatmeal, tuna, black beans, canned unsalted vegetables and pasta with sauce, nutritious products in grocery shops, and product and shelf labels used in all Food Lion shops. It includes the Guiding Stars System.
Know About New Hanover Regional Medical Centre
According to Food Lion, at New Hanover Regional Medical Centre, patients at risk of malnutrition are seen by a dietician and screened for food insecurity as part of their assessment. Patients facing food insecurity can receive a food pharmacy box upon discharge.
New Shaul Davis, Executive Director of the Hanover Regional Medical Centre Foundation, said, “We support our vision of a food pharmacy that serves patients in need and invest in this programme to improve the health of individuals admitted to our hospitals and clinics.
We are very grateful to Food Lion for investing in this programme. Partnerships like this help us further our mission to improve the health of our communities.”
Food Lion operates more than 1,100 supermarkets in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states.
Headquartered in Landover, Maryland, Giant Food launched Produce Rx, a local non-profit DC Greens programme, in 2019 to improve access to healthy food.
Through Produce Rx, AmeriHealth Caritas DC’s people receiving benefits under the Managed Medicaid Health Plan receive fruit and vegetable prescriptions from health professionals for diet-related chronic conditions and fill the prescriptions at Giant’s in-store pharmacy.
In January 2022, Stop & Shop announced plans to roll out the Fresh Connect programme chain-wide. With the expansion of Fresh Connect, Stop & Shop states that it has become the first major retailer to make a fruit and vegetable prescription programme available.
In addition, in February 2022, Stop & Shop worked with the National Grocery Retailers Association Foundation Technical Assistance Centre to create testimonials and informational videos to promote the ‘Food for Healthcare’ concept.
In September this year, management consultants Deloitte released a report on the health benefits of food entitled ‘Fresh Food is the Pill for Price Heartburn’.
What Is The Food Lion Customer Survey Program?
Food Lion customer survey is a sweepstakes contest for the residents of the United States. So, all the residents of the United States with the minimum age of 18 is allowed to enter the food lion survey contest.
Take the Food Lion survey sweepstakes at www.talktofoodlion.com website. Enter the survey contest & enter the sweepstakes & get a chance to win a $500 Food Lion Gift Card.
Contact Support
Food Lion Media Relations – 704-245-3317
publicrelationsteam@foodlion.com.
Novant Health Public Relations – 844-536-3288
publicrelations@novanthealth.org.
Wrapping Up
Of the 2,054 US adults surveyed, 84% considered health and wellness essential when purchasing fresh food, and around 75% said they actively seek more personalised nutrition. Furthermore, 55% said they would pay extra for the ‘right foods’ to improve their health and wellness.
Many consumers also seek specific benefits from foods, such as weight management (43%), management of pre-existing conditions (32%), disease prevention (39%), improved immunity (35%), improved emotional/mental health (34%) and improved cognition (21%).
Kroger also offers a ‘food as medicine’ platform through its Kroger Health division. Last April, Kroger published a joint study with the University of Cincinnati – Supermarket and Web-based Interventions Targeting Nutrition (SuperWIN).
The study found that promoting a heart-healthy diet through nutritional counselling by a registered dietitian improved diet quality and reduced cardiovascular risk.