Walmart Prepares for Healthy Seal Rollout

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November 22, 2011

Walmart stores is on track to roll out its “healthy seal” on store brands in the coming year, making good on its promise to provide and identify healthy food options at its stores.

In January Walmart announced it would reformulate key product categories of its Great Value store brand and work with suppliers to reformulate national brands within the same categories by 2015. The effort is designed to help reduce the consumption of sodium, sugar and trans fats -- major contributors to obesity and chronic diseases.

The reformulation initiative includes three components:

• To reduce sodium by 25 percent in a broad category of grocery items, including grain products, luncheon meats, salad dressings and frozen entrees;
• Reduce added sugars by 10 percent in dairy items, sauces and fruit drinks; and
• Remove all remaining industrially produced trans fats (partially hydrogenated fats and oils) in all packaged food products.

Walmart has been developing criteria for a front-of-package seal intended to help consumers more easily identify healthier food options such as whole grain cereal, whole wheat pasta or unsweetened canned fruit. That seal is set to be introduced in the first half of 2012 on store brands.

The seal is being developed in consultation with health organizations and will be supported by a nutritious food standards designed to increase vitamins, minerals, whole grains, fruits and vegetables in food products, while limiting saturated fats, sodium and added sugars.

Walmart will add this seal to its private label food products that meet the criteria and will also offer the seal to its suppliers for their national brands that qualify.

“The simple front-of-package seal will apply to a small number of healthier products and give customers an easy way to instantly identify food options that are better for them and save them time when shopping our stores,” said Andrea Thomas, senior vice president of sustainability at Walmart.

“When we announced our healthy food initiative we said we’d be working in 2011 to develop it,” said Lorenzo Lopez, a Walmart Spokesman. “It may start showing up in stores during first half of next year, but more likely in the spring of 2012.”

Read These Related Articles:

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• Wal-Mart Changes the Store Brands Game
• Wal-Mart Offers Suppliers Financing Option
• Walmart Shakes Up Its Leadership Team
• Wal-Mart Uses Social Media to Build Consumer Panel for Great Value Brand

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