Giant testing sustainability shelf tag ratings

Ahold Delhaize’s Giant-Landover division has begun testing a shelf-tag sustainability rating system from HowGood, the companies announced.

HowGood is a database of food product ratings based on metrics around environmental and social practices resulting in Good, Great and Best ratings for more than 200,000 products. Shelf tags at Giant stores in the Baltimore-Washington area will indicate these brands. Stores will support the HowGood program with in-store communication including signage at entrances, education at shelf, a trained staff member to answer questions and in-store consumer events to engage shoppers and educate them on the HowGood ratings, the companies said.

On average, stores implementing HowGood see a 31% lift in sales for Best rated products. About 5% of products achieve a Best rating; 15% get “Great” scores and about 25% achieve “Good” ratings, HowGood said. New York-based How Good said it tests more than 70 industry-specific indicators per food item.

Giant officials said the program would support its health and wellness positioning, while highlighting the sustainable products its shoppers are searching for.

“With the seemingly endless number of marketing claims and certifications that are made on packages these days, it can be difficult for shoppers to quickly assess whether a product meets their standards,” Mark Adamcik, VP of sales and merchandising for Giant, said in a statement. “As we offer more products from companies focused on producing food that is both socially conscious and environmentally friendly, Giant is now piloting an easy way to find these products with HowGood ratings. The Good, Great, and Best HowGood ratings now on select store shelves highlight our most sustainable items so that our customers can feel good about making positive choices for themselves and the environment."