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WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Raley’s has expanded its innovative shelf-tagging system, adding categories and icons to help shoppers make better decisions about a wider range of products they are buying.
With the upgrade, Raley’s Shelf Guide now includes products shelved in non-food aisles at the family-owned retailer’s 129 stores in Northern California and Nevada under the Raley’s, Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods, Food Source and Market 5-ONE-5 banners.
Consumers are more health-conscious than ever with a growing trend towards healthier cooking, eating and lifestyle habits, but complicated and confusing food and household product labels remain one of the biggest challenges to selecting better choices, Raley’s stated. The company cited a Spoon Guru survey suggesting that a majority of grocery shoppers want retailers to do more to encourage healthy eating.
Raley’s introduced the system in 2017 to help in-store shoppers know at a glance how the food they buy helps or hinders their goal of eating healthier. The shelf tags are tailored to the specific health attributes Raley’s consumers are seeking. These attributes are conveyed through simple, bright icons placed directly on price tags at the shelf to help shoppers gauge whether a breakfast cereal, a pasta or any other item meets their dietary and nutritional needs, without having to refer to product labels. For instance, a white O on a green tag indicates it is made with organic ingredients.
With the expansion, more than two-thirds of the items in the center store have at least one icon, the company said.
New categories include:
- Food and beverage: Icons convey attributes including nutrient dense; plant-based; no added sugar; ketogenic; vegan, heart healthy; and kosher.
- Health and beauty and household: Icons convey attributes including no added fragrance; paraben-free; clean label; and sustainability.
- Pet care: Icons convey attributes including grain-free; meat as first Ingredient; high in protein; raw; and organic.
“Consumers have the right to know exactly what they are eating, putting on their bodies or using in their homes. We are looking into a more holistic wellness approach when navigating the aisles,” said Yvette Waters, Raley’s nutrition strategist and brand influencer. “Raley’s has enhanced standards of what customers should expect from their local grocer. We want to give customers easy access to better options for a healthier lifestyle and provide greater transparency in labeling of products on our shelves and online.”
The shelf guide’s digital component aims to help shoppers plan their shopping trips and “remembers” the product attributes that a shopper deems important.
Raley’s Shelf Guide was developed in partnership with Chicago-based Label Insight Inc. The project combines analytics and food science to establish strict standards for packaged food claims and provide label transparency.
“We’re excited to continue our partnership with Raley’s, to evolve their Shelf Guide program from its very beginnings to this next stage,” said Ronak Sheth, Label Insight’s chief executive officer. “As a true retail innovator in product transparency, Raley’s is maximizing the intersection of Label Insight’s rich data set with the consumer’s dual need for convenience and product insights.”
Raley’s said it spent a year conducting substantial analysis through Nielsen data, grocery trends and data driven by customers that show the growing demand for products using more sustainable and natural ingredients within these categories. Label Insights reviewed product information, including ingredients and certifications.