Talking Shop with... Joel Warady

Joel Warady, chief sales and marketing officer for Enjoy Life Foods, says retailers have more opportunity than ever before to grow their better-for-you sales. The wellness category continues to grow as more consumers seek healthy alternatives. Do any other factors play a role? Joel Warady: In our opinion, the food industry is at an inflection point in regards to the way people are eating on a daily basis. More than ever, people are focused on what they are putting in their bodies. They are more educated about healthy alternatives, and therefore seek products that have all-natural ingredients and are verified non-GMO. Due to this consumer awareness and demand, manufacturers are changing the way they develop and produce their products. What do retailers need to do to sustain growth in the wellness category? The wellness category is no longer limited to the health food or natural store. Today, all retailers are expanding their health and wellness product offerings, including mass retailers and discounters. The more retailers expand their sets, the more opportunity they have to keep health-aware consumers in their stores, which will ultimately result in sustained sales growth. Talk about the role education plays in-store and elsewhere. Education is everything. Supermarket retailers who have adopted a dietician program have experienced a dramatic increase in sales and greater customer loyalty and retention. Today, retailers need to do more than simply sell product; they must be able to offer food solutions for shoppers with all types of eating requirements. Whatever the food intolerance may be, shoppers seeking meal ideas and healthy eating recommendations are turning to education and information for solutions. What type of mix between healthy products and traditional items should retailers strive for? Retailers have a responsibility to offer not only products that consumers traditionally want to eat, but also those products that they should be eating. A great example of this is the increase in the number of verified non-GMO products available. Even if the awareness is relatively limited among consumers today, the retailer can provide a great service by promoting these options and educating consumers on the benefit of such products. We are seeing more retailers expand their better-for-you offerings as they aim to reduce the number of less healthy alternatives. What is Enjoy Life doing in terms of product introductions? In the next 36 months, Enjoy Life will be adding more than 30 new or improved products to its portfolio. As the leading brand in the free-from category, we believe it is the company’s responsibility to take the lead in product innovation. With more than 41 current products certified gluten-free and free from the top eight allergens, in addition to the planned introductions, Enjoy Life will have more products available for people with food allergies and intolerances than any other company in North America. Talk about the emphasis on allergy-friendly and gluten-free in terms of products and assortment. More than 25 million U.S. consumers stick to a gluten-free diet due to health reasons or a change in eating habits; an additional 75 million people have food allergies and intolerances. That is why Enjoy Life exists, to provide great-tasting, safe products for the 100 million consumers who live with food allergies and intolerances. The incidence of allergies and intolerance continues to increase, as does the market size, allowing Enjoy Life to continue its positioning as the leading free-from company in North America.