Safeway Launches Nutrition Guide

CAROL ANGRISANI

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway here has partnered with Dean Ornish, founder, president and director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute, to create a new consumer guide to nutritious foods.

Ornish endorses “Good to Know,” a listing of the nutritional benefits of various better-for-you foods, on the home page of Safeway's website.

Though most of the featured items are sold in the perimeter of the store, an ample selection of Center Store categories are highlighted, including black and green tea, dark chocolate and oatmeal.

“What you include in your diet is as important as what you exclude,” Ornish states on the website. “These are foods that help you look better, feel better, lose weight and gain health.”

The list includes items that have recently received the nutrition stamp of approval, including almonds, which may help reduce the risk of heart disease, and oregano, shown to have strong antibacterial and antioxidant properties.

The partnership comes at a time when the food industry is educating consumers about nutrition. Among recent efforts in the U.K., a group of food retailers and manufacturers - — including Tesco, Somerfield, William Morrison Supermarkets, Kraft and Coca-Cola - — is proposing a labeling system that would provide the percentage of the recommended daily amount of sugar, fat and other nutrients on a product's package.