Spartan Store Brands Get a Facelift

SHARE:

Email

Print

LinkedIn

Facebook

Twitter

October 18, 2011

The face of Spartan Stores private label products has been refreshed and now includes front-of-package nutrition icons.

The initiative supports the voluntary Facts Up Front nutrition labeling system designed by the Food Marketing Institute and the Grocery Manufacturing Association.

Spartan said it is one of the first retailers in the nation to voluntarily adopt the new labeling. The icons highlight calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugar per serving, as well as the daily value percentages for saturated fat and sodium. In addition, the label includes up to two icons showing "nutrients to be encouraged," such as fiber, protein, calcium and vitamins.

Spartan Stores was in the process of redesigning more than 2,000 Spartan store brand labels in January 2011 when the GMA and FMI boards of directors endorsed the Facts Up Front (formerly known as Nutrition Keys) initiative. The $50 million dollar Facts Up Front consumer education campaign will launch in early 2012, but the new labels can already be found on Spartan frozen chicken and Spartan Baked Beans, in stores now.

Spartan Fresh Selections salads will be among one of the first categories to have the Facts Up Front and Spartan brand canned fruit will follow. All Spartan store brands and Spartan Fresh Selections packaging will bear the new, upfront nutritional labels by January 2013.

The retailer will ultimately include more than 2,000 private label products in the program, according to Alan Hartline, executive vice president of merchandising and marketing. “This is a tremendous voluntary undertaking,” he said. “We wanted to get the labels on products as quickly as possible.

The Facts Up Front labeling system will complement Spartan Stores' other health and wellness initiatives, including a color-coded Nutrition Guide Shelf Tags for 16,000 products, launched in 2009. The Nutrition Guide covers private label and national brands and identifies low fat, low sodium, high fiber, gluten free, sugar free, and low calorie categories supported by the Food and Drug Administration.

Spartan Stores conducted independent research, the results of which indicate the majority of consumers believe it is extremely or very important that their grocery stores of choice provide information about the health and nutrition benefits of the products they purchase, according to the retailer. This coupled with the U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2009 Report from the Food Marketing Institute findings that only 15 percent of grocery store shoppers were extremely satisfied with the nutrition information provided by their primary grocery store, led the chain to proactively pursue the voluntary Facts Up Front labeling system and develop The Nutrition Guide program.

Read These Related Articles:

• Walmart's Asda Targets Global Store Brands Launch
• Save-A-Lot and Aldi Target Urban Markets
• Walmart and Carrefour Expand Store Brand Lines Internationally
• Delhaize Store Brands Focus on Seasonal BBQ Promotions
• Winn-Dixie Introduces Store Brand Yogurt Line

Most Read

Guest Columns

Grocery Aisle Innovation Key to Retailer and Consumer Cost Savings

Retailers are redesigning the aisle, appealing to environmentally friendly consumers and capitalizing on market trends to make their private label brands more competitive.

Source: Tetra Pak Inc.

How to Develop a Private Label Expression Aligned with Retail Brand Strategy

By creating private label as a marketing tool rather than just a price alternative, retailers gain the opportunity to tell a complete brand story while simultaneously boosting customer loyalty.

Source: CBX

Using the Store Banner to Endorse Private Label Architecture

Although the economic downturn accelerated private label growth in Europe, there was another key driver -- retailers started to brand their stores.

Source: IPLC

See All Guest Columns »

Press Releases