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Join Phil Lempert, RDBA CEO and Annette Maggi, MS, RDN, LD, FAND, Executive Director for a robust panel discussion on long-term impacts of COVID-19 on grocery retail and how retail dietitians can be planning for these challenges and opportunities. Retail RD panelists are Caroline Cheong, Director of Nutritional Health Coach Regional Managers at Natural Grocers, Allison Delaney MS, RD, LDN, Stop & Shop Nutrition Partners Program Lead and 2021 RDBA Retail RD of the Year, and Ellie Wilson, MS, RDN, CDN, Manager of Lifestyle and Wellness Programs at Price Chopper/Market 32/Golub Corporation.

You might have heard some months ago that people in Australia missed airline travel so much that Qantas started flights to nowhere.

Shopping behavior, availability of pantry staples, cooking from home – these are just a few of the changes that happened during the pandemic and which are shaping customer loyalty as retail moves into a new normal. Consider these effects of the pandemic on customer loyalty and the impact for retail dietitians.

This year marked the 16th time the International Food Information Council (IFIC) has conducted their food and health survey questioning American consumers to understand their perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors around food and food purchasing decisions. Some of the key survey highlights are summarized below along with ideas for educational activation.

Early in 2021, here’s been movement on key regulatory issues, including labeling sesame as an allergen and use of the word “healthy.” Updates on both are provided here.

Learning new skills on the job is common no matter our work experience level, and throughout this past year, retail dietitians have built a multitude of new skills. High on the list is the ability to develop and lead engaging consumer videos and live stream.

We’ve all experienced tough times in our career such as, being looked over for a promotion, having a program declined, or having a major problem with a co-worker or boss.  These are times when we may feel alone and vulnerable and in dire need of some sound advice. As these situations are bound to happen many times in our work life, consider putting together a small group of individuals that you can turn to for help when needed – your own personal “Board of Directors”. 

Currently, I help lead our Hy-Vee dietitian team in our corporate initiatives. My tasks range from supervising team progression to collaborating with other teams and helping push forward our initiatives and branding to informing customers and media about health and nutrition. 

As the only organization committed specifically to the career development of dietitians working in the retail environment, this topic was a key focus of the RDBA Virtual Experience held earlier this month. Recordings of three sessions designed to help retail RDs advance their careers are now available to all RDBA members. Below are links to and summaries of each session.

When it comes to engaging retail team members around health and well-being initiatives, it’s important to communicate frequently with key messages to keep them informed, excited and connected to programming.