Safeway's "Simple Nutrition" program page

[ennasirk]

I heard an ad for this program on the radio tonight; while there might be a little useful information in these new "shelf tags" (like the gluten free labels) what do you want to bet none of the stuff on the outside of the store actually gets labels? Sounds to me like another way to push processed packaged crap.

I rarely shop at Safeway, so I haven't actually checked to see how / if it's been implemented in my local store. Anyone checked it out to see if my cynical take on it is true and it's just highly processed products that are labeled this way and not the produce, meat, and dairy?

http://www.safeway.com/IFL/Grocery/S...rition-Program

[Saoirse]

our safeway has an "eat right" program. certain safeway-brand products have an "eat right" logo on them. not sure what all carries the logo, but i've spotted it on salad greens and chicken. sometimes safeway has a sale on all of its "eat right" products.

[ennasirk]

Yeah, I've seen that at Safeway for a while; it seems this is more extensive and will apply to their own branded products as well as brand names. It sounds like it's not on the products themselves, but on the shelves as a way to highlight "healthy" choices.

[runnergal]

I'll check next time I am there....that's my "fillintheblanks" store.

[ennasirk]

I'll check next time I am there....that's my "fillintheblanks" store.

Hah! Such a good descriptor - mine too. If it's not available from my CSA or Farmer's Market or Trader Joe's, or I don't want to pay Whole Paycheck prices for it, it'll probably get picked up at Safeway (though on very rare occasions I'll get something there that I'd normally buy at TJs just because it's on the way home from somewhere else).

[Hedonist]

A small Safeway is the closest store to me. I do shop there fairly often. They have a fair number of organic products. Part of my likes to encourage that. Having worked in grocery for about ten years (food co-ops), I know that they consider themselves lucky to make one cent on every dollar they take in. Even if their whole management had a road to Damascus experience about healthy food, they couldn't move much faster than they are.

One thing that bugs me, though, is their "Open Nature" label. That implies to me free range/grass fed/etc. But in fact it is nothing of the kind.

[Saoirse]

Yeah, I've seen that at Safeway for a while; it seems this is more extensive and will apply to their own branded products as well as brand names. It sounds like it's not on the products themselves, but on the shelves as a way to highlight "healthy" choices.

hmm...interesting. i'll have to check it out when i go there next. i go sometimes to get organic curly leaf kale and non organic blackberries (because i can't afford the organic ones). oh, and their "sanderson farms" chicken, which is about as "natural" as the chicken i get elsewhere, but nearly half the price.

[ennasirk]

I realize this may have come off very snotty about Safeway - I forget sometimes how incredibly spoiled I am to have a weekly year-round farmer's market, a Trader Joe's, a Whole Foods, a local produce shop, and a small Safeway all within easy walking distance, plus Berkeley Bowl, Farmer Joe and lots of other local sources within a few miles (including, I think, a farmer's market on every day of the week within a few miles). For a lot of folks Safeway is the best option, and the better meat and produce a store like that can get, the better it is for us grokkers. I just wonder if any of these new labels will be going on the meat or produce; probably not, but I can hope and will definitely take a look next time I'm there.

[Grok]

If Safeway knew how to eat right they would stop selling junk food.

[primaltreehgr]

I noticed the tags last week at safeway, they are little green leaf labels. I noticed them because most of the items i bought had the shelf tag under them. They were on all the organic items plus a few others with limited ingredients or gluten free stuff.