Kroger Health's Food as Medicine Platform Recognized as a Leading Healthy Lifestyle Approach by University of Cincinnati Study

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Apr 04, 2022, 08:51 ET

Newly published "Supermarket and Web-based Intervention targeting Nutrition" study validates positive impact of retail-based dietary interventions

CINCINNATI, April 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kroger Health, the healthcare division of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), funded the University of Cincinnati to execute an independent clinical research study to learn how retailers, like Kroger, serve as an important healthcare destination by leveraging food and nutrition education to support the health and wellbeing of shoppers. The study, Supermarket and Web-based Intervention targeting Nutrition (SuperWIN), was a groundbreaking, randomized controlled trial aimed at increasing diet quality and decreasing cardiovascular risk by promoting a heart-healthy diet through nutrition counseling provided by a registered dietitian.

"We have always believed in the power of Food as Medicine in managing and preventing disease before it starts," says Colleen Lindholz, president, Kroger Health. "The SuperWIN study provides real world evidence that our dietitians can help customers eat better and live healthier lives through use of technology, education, and shopping tools."

Key Findings:
The study results announced at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session & Expo held on April 3, 2022, in Washington, D.C. show that:

In-aisle teaching with a Kroger Health registered dietitian significantly increased adherence to a heart-healthy dietary pattern compared to traditional nutrition counseling alone. Adherence was further improved when in-aisle teaching was paired with education on how to use online shopping technologies, including grocery delivery service, the Kroger app and website, and OptUP, Kroger Health's industry-leading nutrition rating system to simplify and track healthier shopping.
Retailers like Kroger serve as an important healthcare destination, aligning with recently surveyed consumers who identified their primary food stores (48%) as institutions helping them stay healthy.

"SuperWIN is probably the most scientifically rigorous study of a comprehensive healthcare intervention ever conducted with the retail industry," says Dylan Steen, MD, of the Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease at the UC College of Medicine. "In terms of purchasing data, retailers have been collecting these data for decades. These data are now progressively being linked to nutrition information and thus could be used by dietitians, nurses, pharmacists, and physicians to provide the best, individualized guidance to patients."

"Kroger Health is proud of our partnership with the University of Cincinnati and the SuperWIN trial," says Bridget Wojciak, Director of Nutrition, Kroger Health. "We are striving every day to elevate the grocery store as a destination for preventive healthcare. Our Food as Medicine strategy is a dedicated, educated, and personalized approach to eating and enjoying food to prevent illness before it starts, and this study has shown that our strategy works."

The SuperWIN trial is the latest evidence supporting Kroger's Food as Medicine platform and the value of registered dietitians, the nation's foremost experts in nutrition, providing the public with evidence-based nutrition care. Kroger has since expanded access to nutrition care through its telenutrition program, offering two-way video chat appointments with Kroger Health registered dietitians across the country.

To download the SuperWIN report, visit here.

About Kroger Health:
Kroger Health, the healthcare division of The Kroger Co., is one of America's leading retail healthcare organizations, with over 2,200 pharmacies and 220 clinics in 35 states serving more than 14 million customers. Our team of 22,000 healthcare practitioners - from pharmacists and nurse practitioners, to dietitians and technicians – are committed to helping people live healthier lives. We believe in practicing at the top of our licenses and enabling "food as medicine" to help prevent or manage certain diseases. We are dedicated to providing testing and wellness services to help Americans combat the COVID-19 crisis.

About Kroger:
At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are dedicated to our Purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit™. We are, across our family of companies, nearly half a million associates who serve over nine million customers daily through a seamless digital shopping experience and 2,800 retail food stores under a variety of banner names, serving America through food inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.

SOURCE The Kroger Co.