Raley’s raises product transparency with expanded Shelf Guide

To aid shoppers walking the aisles or placing orders online, Raley’s has expanded the nutritional, health and wellness attributes for its nearly two-year-old Shelf Guide.

The West Sacramento, Calif.-based grocer said Tuesday the product label transparency tool now has 23 icons for health-related attributes, including for new nonfood categories added to the program.

With the extension, Raley’s said its Shelf Guide, launched in September 2017, “goes further than any other shelf tag program” by helping customers more easily navigate nutrition facts, processing claims and ingredient labels for thousands of products both on-shelf and online.

“Consumers have the right to know exactly what they are eating, putting on their bodies or using in their homes. We are looking into a more holistic wellness approach when navigating the aisles,” Yvette Waters (left), nutrition strategist and brand influencer at Raley’s, said in a statement. "Raley’s has enhanced standards of what customers should expect from their local grocer.”

Raley’s noted that the Shelf Guide’s new and updated icons are tailored to the specific health criteria that its consumers seek. In food and beverages, icons include nutrient-dense, clean-label, plant-based, carb-friendly, gut health, sustainability, no added sugar, keto-friendly, heart healthy, high in protein, organic, vegan, whole grain, gluten-free, non-GMO, grain-free and kosher.

Related:Connecting to customers with wellness

For the new health and beauty aids and household categories, icons include paraben-free, no added fragrance, clean-label, sulfate-free, phthalate-free and sustainability. There also are attributes for pet care: grain-free, meat as first ingredient, high in protein, gut health, organic, non-GMO, raw and gluten-free.

In stores, shoppers can see up to nine attributes on a product’s shelf tag. Online customers ordering for pickup or delivery can use the Shelf Guide icons as filters to drill down to products that match dietary needs and lifestyle preferences. Raley’s said more than two-thirds of center-store items have at least one icon. The retailer also sheds more light on the Shelf Guide attributes in a customer education campaign that includes animated videos.

“We want to give customers easy access to better options for a healthier lifestyle and provide greater transparency in labeling of products on our shelves and online,” added Waters.

Raley’s said it leveraged rich data to develop custom attributes for the Shelf Guide. To that end, the company spent a year conducting analysis of Nielsen data, grocery trends and data driven by customers that show a rising demand for products using more sustainable and natural ingredients within these categories. In addition, the grocer partnered with product transparency solution specialist Label Insight to review product information, including ingredients and certifications.

Related:Raley’s revamps private label lineup

“We’re excited to continue our partnership with Raley’s to evolve their Shelf Guide program from its very beginnings to this next stage,” commented Ronak Sheth, CEO of Label Insight. “As a true retail innovator in product transparency, Raley’s is maximizing the intersection of Label Insight’s rich data set with the consumer’s dual need for convenience and product insights. We’re looking forward to our continued collaboration.”

Helping customers make more informed and healthier food choices is a linchpin of Raley’s brand positioning. In recent years, the retailer has discontinued production of store-brand soda with high-fructose corn syrup and artificial colors and flavors; eliminated private label cereal with more than 25% added sugar; and pulled conventional candy from the checkout lanes, reducing the overall sugar offerings by 25%. This year, the company also boosted ingredient transparency in relaunching its private label and made all of its store-brand chicken antibiotic-free, with packaging in 100% recyclable trays.

Raley’s operates 129 stores in California and Nevada the Raley’s, Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods, Food Source and Market 5-ONE-5 banners.