Everyone in grocery retail wants a richer understanding of what’s happening with the consumer — what they’re thinking about and talking about, the questions they’re trying to get answered, the changes they want to make. Retail dietitians, who have in-depth conversations with customers on a daily basis, have excellent perspective in this area. With that in mind — and thanks to a generous assist from the International Fresh Produce Association's Katie Calligaro, who helped convene this group in advance of IFPA's Consumer Connection Conference — we're delighted to feature in this week's episode a roundtable conversation with Laura Brown, director of nutrition for Kroger Health; Stacy Bates, director of wellness and nutrition strategy at H-E-B; and Allison Primo, health and wellness strategy manager at Schnuck Markets. Laura, Stacy and Allison discuss what's top of mind for consumers when it comes to nutrition and wellness; what they're hearing from shoppers on current events topics like food additives, seed oils, GLP-1s, SNAP restrictions and more; the role they play for their organizations in making sure health and wellness messaging breaks through even as their companies also need to communicate about value, convenience and other purchase drivers; how economic pressure is influencing the way consumers are shopping; the importance of shifting the mindset around what healthy eating means and making that relevant for all cultures; how they build relationships throughout their organizations to bring a nutrition lens to different teams and business activities; the increasing significance of trust with consumers as grocers produce more of their own products; and more. Hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did!

<p>Everyone in grocery retail wants a richer understanding of what&rsquo;s happening with the consumer &mdash; what they&rsquo;re thinking about and talking about, the questions they&rsquo;re trying to get answered, the changes they want to make. Retail dietitians, who have in-depth conversations with customers on a daily basis, have excellent perspective in this area. With that in mind &mdash; and thanks to a generous assist from the International Fresh Produce Association's Katie Calligaro, who helped convene this group in advance of IFPA's Consumer Connection Conference &mdash; we're delighted to feature in this week's episode a roundtable conversation with Laura Brown, director of nutrition for Kroger Health; Stacy Bates, director of wellness and nutrition strategy at H-E-B; and Allison Primo, health and wellness strategy manager at Schnuck Markets. Laura, Stacy and Allison discuss what's top of mind for consumers when it comes to nutrition and wellness; what they're hearing from shoppers on current events topics like food additives, seed oils, GLP-1s, SNAP restrictions and more; the role they play for their organizations in making sure health and wellness messaging breaks through even as their companies also need to communicate about value, convenience and other purchase drivers; how economic pressure is influencing the way consumers are shopping; the importance of shifting the mindset around what healthy eating means and making that relevant for all cultures; how they build relationships throughout their organizations to bring a nutrition lens to different teams and business activities; the increasing significance of trust with consumers as grocers produce more of their own products; and more. Hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did!</p>

The Produce Retail Podcast is the place for thought leaders in the industry to talk shop. Join us for conversations on strategy, business partnerships, planning, training, leadership, communication, merchandising and much more. We'll have regular guests as well as more occasional visitors, and the goal is always to deliver conversations that inform, inspire and ultimately illuminate opportunities for growth. This podcast is hosted by Ashley Nickle, produce industry enthusiast and founder and CEO of Ashley Nickle Growth Strategies.  

<p>The Produce Retail Podcast is the place for thought leaders in the industry to talk shop. Join us for conversations on strategy, business partnerships, planning, training, leadership, communication, merchandising and much more. We'll have regular guests as well as more occasional visitors, and the goal is always to deliver conversations that inform, inspire and ultimately illuminate opportunities for growth. This podcast is hosted by Ashley Nickle, produce industry enthusiast and founder and CEO of Ashley Nickle Growth Strategies.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>