ANDRONICO'S SHELF LABELS TAG HEALTHY ITEM CHOICES

AMITY K. MOORE

ALBANY, Calif. -- Andronico's Market here has implemented Food Labeling and Nutritional Information, a program to help its environment- and health-conscious consumers shop its stores more easily.

"We have a consuming base that looks for this type of thing, that really appreciates and responds to something that's offered along these lines," said Bill Andronico, president of the six-store independent.

"What we're really trying to do here is create a service that creates an environment of loyalty. [Our shoppers] are going to rely on us and come in and do their shopping because this is a nice service that Andronico's is providing," Andronico added. The program, which took about two years to develop, consists of colored shelf talkers which tell shoppers which products are low-fat, fat-free, organic or natural.

Andronico said the bulk -- about 1,500 to 2,000 -- of the 2,300 tagged items are grocery, frozen food and dairy products.

Part of what makes this program different from other nutrition labeling programs, Andronico said, is that in addition to highlighting natural and organic products, it emphasizes areas outside of those categories.

In some departments, signs indicate fresh and residue-free products, and products like handmade, naturally ripened cheese. Other shelf tags flag products produced by local small growers or by small cheese makers, in addition to those products that contain no animal rennet or have been grown using integrated pest management.

"[We tried] to do it in a way

that really had impact and meaning. We went a little deeper than most [other supermarket retailers]. It's a little unusual in that we go just beyond nutrition," he said.

To raise awareness about the program in-store, Andronico's hung posters, printed special grocery bags and distributed brochures which explained the program and gave definitions of the shelf tags. Outside the store, the chain included a piece about the program in its weekly mailer. The company also mentioned it during a radio advertisement for another promotion.

Andronico told SN he plans to ensure the program keeps its local flavor, educating shoppers about small producers in the Berkeley area where four of the company's stores are located.

"It's really important that there's a partnership with smaller businesses and our company," Andronico said. Local growers, he said, are often working on products that may be more nutritional or taste better than mass-produced products. Partnerships with such companies, he added, help keep his company unique in consumers' minds.

Andronico added he will maintain and update the program to keep it different from other labeling programs.

"We will continue to refine and develop our [labeling] to make it meaningfully different -- to go beyond the generic. We [do] now, if you look at the 'small cheese producers' and 'no animal rennet' [tags]. We'll continue to develop it where it makes sense," he said. Because the program began recently, Andronico did not want to comment in detail on the overall success of the program. He said, however, he feels good about the way it's going.

The company, he said, has received positive comments about the program from its shoppers. "We find that we've increased movement on the signed items," he added.

Andronico said the program will be included in two stores under construction; one slated to open next month, the other in late 1996 or early 1997.