Hy-Vee Store Launches ‘Wellness Wednesdays’

AUSTIN, Minn. — A Hy-Vee store here launched “Wellness Wednesdays” this week as a step toward encouraging its customers to follow the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate guidelines, which recommend meals include an item from each food group.

The project was initiated — and is supervised — by Hy-Vee registered dietitian Jen Haugen.

From now on, each Wednesday, the store’s culinary team will create one or two particularly healthful options and present them as a plated meal, modeled after the MyPlate icon.

“We’re trying to encourage people to eat meals based on the MyPlate suggestions,” Haugen told SN. “For instance, the meals we’ll showcase will have a lean protein, a whole grain, and half the plate will be filled with fruits and/or vegetables. Also, bottles of milk will be offered as a beverage choice.”

The USDA’s MyPlate icon will be displayed near the meal.

Haugen has spearheaded several such efforts at the store — and in the community — to urge consumers to make healthier eating choices.

 While Hy-Vee, based in West Des Moines, Iowa, operates more than 230 retail stores in eight states in the Midwest, corporate policy allows each store to have a large measure of autonomy, Haugen pointed out. 

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