Stop & Shop Offers Healthy Ideas Throughout the Year

QUINCY, Mass., Dec. 7, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time to ring in the New Year, The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company is continuing their commitment to helping customers make healthier choices as well as sticking to those challenging New Year resolutions.

"Losing weight and eating better regularly rank as among the most common New Year's resolutions," said Andrea Astrachan, consumer advisor. "There is no better place to make healthy choices than at the supermarket and Stop & Shop is committed to helping our customers stay on track with their healthy eating goals throughout the year."

In January 2011, Stop & Shop is reminding customers of their exclusive Healthy Ideas^® product labeling system to customers. Since launching in 2009, thousands of corporate and national brand perishable and nonperishable products feature the blue and green Healthy Ideas shelf tags that help customers identify healthy options as they shop the aisles.

Foods labeled with the Healthy Ideas symbol include single ingredient fruits, vegetables and 100% fruit juice, some canned, frozen and dried fruits, certain breads and meats, cereals, rice and pasta, low fat dairy products and some snack foods.

"Healthy Ideas is exclusive to our supermarkets and makes it easy for Stop & Shop customers to identify foods that fit into a healthy lifestyle," said Andrea Astrachan, consumer advisor. "In order to receive the Healthy Ideas distinction, a product must meet certain criteria related to total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugar amounts that was developed by a team of registered dietitians using information from Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the USDA Food Pyramid and the Food & Drug Administration."

In addition to offering affordable healthy corporate and national brand products in store, Stop & Shop offers customers a variety of solutions online throughout the year to help maintain a healthy lifestyle and keep on track with healthy eating goals.

Customers can visit Stopandshop.com to find plenty of healthy recipes, tips for eating healthy on a budget, answers to frequently asked nutrition questions and a variety of other information by clicking on the Healthy Ideas tab.

Also available online, Stop & Shop's Passport to Nutrition is a web-based program to educate kids on nutrition and living healthy lifestyles in a fun and interactive way. The website provides parents and teachers with the necessary tools to achieve healthy lifestyles both at home and at school.

About Stop & Shop

The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company employs more than 59,000 associates and operates stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey. The company is a member of the US Green Building Council and has been awarded LEED (EB) certifications for 50 of its existing stores. Stop & Shop has been recognized by the EPA for the superior energy management of its stores and is also a member of the EPA's Smart Way program. Stop & Shop is an Ahold company. To learn more about Stop & Shop, visit www.stopandshop.com.

SOURCE The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company