Price Chopper Books Heart Health

WENDY TOTH

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — Price Chopper Supermarkets is promoting a new book as the centerpiece to its chainwide Healthy Heart promotion. The comprehensive effort will last the entire “Heart Health Month” of February and will build upon the store's Healthy U guide to items that promote wellness.

The book, “101 Foods that Could Save Your Life,” is being merchandised through a special display in the produce section as well as in the book section of all Price Chopper stores. The retailer is offering the book for $12.95 with a Price Chopper Advantage card, discounted from $14, and author Dave Grotto toured stores last week.

“This is the first cookbook I can recall that we have sold in every store in the chain,” Price Chopper spokeswoman Mona Golub told SN. The move reflects the retailer's effort to integrate health-related messages throughout over 100 stores, she said.

In addition to the book promotion, Price Chopper is running heart health programs throughout its stores, including free cholesterol screenings, nutrition education, product sampling, heart health tours and cause marketing for the American Heart Association, Dallas. “This is a concerted effort though merchandising, operations, pharmacy, consumer-services advertising and marketing to create an integrated baseline message of heart health,” Golub said.

Price Chopper pharmacies will be auctioning off a blood pressure monitor each week and will be distributing a booklet, “Quit Smoking Without Gaining Weight” and a bookmark that details ways to reduce stress.

“We have an obligation, given the information that is available to us in conjunction with the products we sell, to offer valuable information for our customers,” Golub said. “This program is a way to integrate information at varying levels to consumers who are willing to receive it.”

Signage will mark foods that may prevent heart disease and corporate chef Dave Hamlin, who contributed two recipes to the book, has developed special heart healthy meals of roasted chicken tenders dinners and healthy sides to be offered in the prepared-food section of all Price Chopper stores throughout the month. A heart healthy snack, fresh fruit and yogurt parfait, will also be sold for $1 with all proceeds going directly to the American Heart Association.