Skip navigation

Topics Cited for Wellness Show

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Food Marketing Institute here will focus on best retail practices during the third edition of its Health & Wellness Conference in Orlando, Fla., on March 18-21.

The conference originally debuted in 2010 in conjunction with FMI’s every-other- year trade show in Las Vegas. Last year the conference ran as a solo event in Orlando.

“One of the things we’ve learned from our members as we were shaping this year’s conference is they are looking for help in understanding exactly what is going on in the industry, what’s working and what’s not working. There is a real willingness among folks to share some of those best practices such as what’s been done and how are supermarkets working with dieticians in stores to set up appointments with customers interested in weight loss or diabetes or those interested in shopping for appropriate foods,” Cathy Polley, FMI’s vice president of health and wellness, told SN.

Three breakout tracks scheduled are: “Your Patients: Delivering Quality Pharmacy Solutions,” “Your Shoppers: Providing Healthy Living Ideas” and “Your Business: Building a Health and Wellness Destination.”

Pharmacy topics will include an examination of the implications of Medicare Part D star ratings for supermarket pharmacies; a legislative update; opportunities in medication therapy management; specialty pharmacy and the role of pharmacy and benefit design in improving medication adherence.

Other topics will be geared toward dietitians, and others will focus on marketing and merchandisng activities, including measuring the ROI of health and wellness programs.

Polley said there is an increase in consumer demand for health and wellness solutions among an abundance of information cluttering the marketplace. Supermarkets are best positioned to help their customers cut through that clutter by offering health and wellness solutions to fit individual lifestyles.

“We are seeing a lot of stores partnering on public health initiatives in their local community and with schools to help the entire community get behind healthy lifestyles. That is a growing trend,” she said.

Hide comments

Comments

  • Allowed HTML tags: <em> <strong> <blockquote> <br> <p>

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
Publish