Ideas for point-of-purchase nutrition education

Abstract

and 2 small co-op stores located near our research center. Seven conventional super­ markets served as a source of comparison informatIOn. The 2 large co-ops spent approXimately 1070 of gross income on consumer educa­ tion, had policies and gUidelines for educa­ tional materials, and employed home economists and nutrItionists With major responSibilitIes in consumer education. These nutritIOn educators deSCrIbed a mer­ chandising strategy which Involved stock­ ing items high In customer demand regardless of nutrItional quality and focus­ Ing educational messages on those Items which seemed to be nutritionally poor choices. Because of the heterogeneity of the customer populatIOn In the large co­ ops, the educators belIeved that refusal to stock popular items would result 10 dissatisfaction among a sigmficant portIOn of customers and that the compromise ap­ proach of carrying the item With an ex­ planation of its poor nutrItional or economic value would offer nutritIOn education Without Jeopardizing sales. The educators believed that this approach enhanced consumer deCision making. One of the large co-ops proVided educatIOnal tours for schoolchildren and adults, and educatIOn team members addressed adult groups away from the store. The tours and lectures conveyed nutritIon mformatlOn. The nutrItIOn educators in the 2 large stores expressed satisfaction with their pro­ grams. A sigmficant source of this satisfac­ tion was derIved from verbal and WrItten feedback from customers. Further Indica­ tions of the effectIveness of the programs cited by the educators were changes in total sales of products which had been the sub­ Ject of educational campaigns. The 2 small co-ops recognized nutrItion educatIOn as a responsibility but did not budget funds for nutrItion education pro­ grams. Committees of member volunteers established nutrition education goals and Implemented actiVities. Staff with other prImary responsibllittes provided some superviSIOn of nutrition education ac­ tivities. These smaller co-ops, which served a more specialized membership, tended to avoid stocking products which were