What Walmart’s “Great For You” Means for You
A year after pledging to develop a front-of-pack label that would give its customers an easier way to identify healthier food, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), a leading food retailer, unveiled the “Great For You” icon at an event today, Feb. 7. in Washington, D.C.
The icon, part of the company’s healthier food initiative, is an effort to implement a transparent, summary icon for its private label brand products backed by rigorous nutrition criteria.
“Great For You” will initially appear on select Walmart Great Value and Marketside items, as well as on fresh and packaged fruits and vegetables at Walmart U.S. stores nationwide this spring.
[ Also Read: Stonyfield Kicks Off Know Your Food Campaign ]By extending “Great For You” to fruits and vegetables and nutritious food options the company will make it easier for its customers to build healthier diets.
“Walmart moms are telling us they want to make healthier choices for their families, but need help deciphering all the claims and information already displayed on products,” said Andrea Thomas, senior vice president of sustainability at Walmart.
“Our ‘Great For You’ icon provides customers with an easy way to quickly identify healthier food choices. As they continue to balance busy schedules and tight budgets, this simple tool encourages families to have a healthier diet.”
[ Also Read: Have You Seen the Worst Kitchen in America? ]Items with the “Great For You” icon must meet rigorous nutrition criteria informed by the latest nutrition science and authoritative guidance from the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Institute of Medicine (IOM).
Developed in consultation with food and nutrition experts from the public and private sectors as well as leading health organizations, the “Great For You” nutrition criteria are available to the public on the web (www.walmartgreatforyou.com), representing a collaborative and transparent effort to develop a trusted and reliable system for consumers.
The icon will also be made available to national brand products that qualify and can be complementary to other nutrition labeling systems being used by the food industry.
