Albertsons sharpens nutritional guidance in Sincerely Health digital platform

Albertsons Cos. has added a nutrition insights tool to its six-month-old Sincerely Health digital health-and-wellness portal.

Zeroing in on the connection between food and well-being, the nutrition functionality measures grocery purchases based on the serving recommendations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate guidance, Albertsons said Thursday. In turn, the tool enables customers to make smarter food choices based on their dietary preferences, household size and age group.

Going live in February, the science-backed Sincerely Health portal links consumers to education and services to help them make more informed decisions across elements of well-being, including food and diet, exercise, sleep, medical care, medications, immunizations and mindfulness, according to Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons. In addition to input from health, insurer and tech partners, the platform reflects insights collected from more than 10,000 customers and associates.

USDA’s MyPlate offers guidance on the five food groups constituting a healthful diet—fruit, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy or fortified soy alternatives—plus advice on healthy eating overall. Albertsons’ new nutrition tool connects customers’ loyalty accounts to their Sincerely Health profiles to review recent and future grocery purchases and calculate how much of their food items meet MyPlate guidance. In one tap, users can see if their grocery baskets lack one or more essential food groups, the retailer noted.

“With the launch of this feature, we are offering real-time nutritional information, both at an item and basket level, making it easy for our customers to make better food choices,” Albertsons Executive Vice President of Health and Chief Digital Officer Omer Gajial, said in a statement. “As one of the largest food and drug retailers in the U.S., with 24 grocery banners serving local communities, we are committed to improving lives by making wellness solutions more accessible to customers.”

Sincerely Health also provides users with personalized food recommendations, recipes and articles based on their nutritional and dietary preferences and/or dietary restrictions, which Albertsons said facilitates the discovery of meal options aligning with customers’ nutrition goals.

The platform, too, rewards health points to users for setting their nutrition goals and adopting better eating habits, such as cooking at home, limiting sweet treats and cutting back on fried food. Customers can also earn weekly and monthly rewards for meeting their MyPlate recommendations across each food group. Accumulated points can be redeemed for grocery coupons and discounts on items like fresh produce, seafood and meat.

Currently, Albertsons offers Sincerely Health via 16 of its grocery retail apps and websites, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Shaw’s, Jewel-Osco, Acme and Tom Thumb, among others. Customers can link their activity trackers to the platform, enter their health vitals and medication regimens, and connect to an online pharmacy, with access to tools for managing prescriptions, scheduling vaccine appointments, and connecting to telehealth services.

Albertsons stepped up support for Sincerely Health with the rollout of a food-theme omnichannel marketing campaign at the start of March. And to spur better eating habits, the retailer said it has committed to provide 50 million evidence-based nutrition recommendations to digital customers by 2024, as well as launch six health campaigns by 2025 via in-store events and digital platforms to raise awareness of MyPlate dietary guidance.