Yesterday, Walmart announced an initiative to improve the nutrition of the food they carry while lessening its environmental impact. This is just one more announcement in a series of big name brands waking up to the dual global crises of health and the environment, and responding with corporate action.
Walmart's goal is to help the environment as well as the health of their consumers, and they’ve established four “pillars” to help them achieve that goal:
Of course, this raises the question of what, exactly, “healthy” means to the company (they’ve already made great strides in reducing sodium and sugar in many products, which is promising) and how consumers will respond to these new products. Will they buy food items labeled with the new “Great for You” icon, or will they want to stick to the familiar products they’re used to buying?
This is where the health education aspect will be crucial. Their press release states that “Walmart and the Walmart Foundation will provide nutrition education to 4 million U.S. households,” though it doesn’t specify who, precisely, will be providing that education and what it will entail.
I don’t know about you, but this sounds like a role for Health Coaches to us!
Walmart's goal is to help the environment as well as the health of their consumers, and they’ve established four “pillars” to help them achieve that goal:
- Reducing the true cost of food, both for the environment and for consumers
- Increasing access to affordable, nutritious food for everyone
- Make healthy eating easier by providing healthier options and committing to nutrition education
- Increasing transparency in the food supply system
Of course, this raises the question of what, exactly, “healthy” means to the company (they’ve already made great strides in reducing sodium and sugar in many products, which is promising) and how consumers will respond to these new products. Will they buy food items labeled with the new “Great for You” icon, or will they want to stick to the familiar products they’re used to buying?
This is where the health education aspect will be crucial. Their press release states that “Walmart and the Walmart Foundation will provide nutrition education to 4 million U.S. households,” though it doesn’t specify who, precisely, will be providing that education and what it will entail.
I don’t know about you, but this sounds like a role for Health Coaches to us!