Raley's makes all check stands 'Better For You'

Raley’s has transformed check stands at all 120 of its stores by replacing the products displayed with better-for-you items, the retailer announced.

The “Better For You” check stands will no longer include artificially sweetened sodas. The West Sacramento, Calif., chain also made changes to the snacks it stocks and will only sell products with “ingredients that customers recognize as real food” and no or fewer preservatives, according to a company spokesperson. Such items include candies, granola bars and nutrition bars.

The spokesperson said decisions about what to stock were made jointly with Raley’s Wellness Evangelist and its merchants. “We did establish some standards for each store to ensure the right mix of products,” she said.

“We know impulsive choices happen at the check stand,” Keith Knopf, Raley’s COO, said in a press release. “We are proud to take a brave next step by making it easier for shoppers to choose healthy, more nutritious options.”

Raley’s has undergone several changes at stores this year to promote health and wellness, including eliminating Raley’s private label brand soda that contained high-fructose corn syrup and artificial colors and flavors; offering free fruit to children; and launching a personalized health program called “Let’s Begin” for customers.