Consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest has recently focused its attention on unhealthy snacks and drinks in checkout aisles by putting together a Pinterest board of good and (mostly) bad examples at supermarkets and other retailers.
Today, CSPI specifically called out Whole Foods Market on Twitter for stocking chips and candy at checkout. The retailer responded by touting its quality standards and thanking the group for its feedback. See the full exchange below.
@CSPI Our quality standards for acceptable ingredients within those products is very high. Like most foods, moderation is key.
— Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) March 21, 2014
@CSPI Thanks for the additional feedback!
— Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) March 21, 2014
Certain retailers have replaced some or all of their checkout products with better-for-you items. Harmons installed healthy checkout lanes at each of its stores last summer, while Martins traded candy for fruit in certain lanes in 2012. A few Hy-Vee and Fareway stores in Iowa have created special checkout aisles as part of the state’s Blue Zones initiative.