Wal-Mart Associates to Lead Healthy Store Tours

BALTIMORE — Shopping Matters store tours, designed to help low-income families achieve better dietary quality, will be held at all 45 Maryland Wal-Mart stores this Saturday at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Shopping Matters is an initiative of Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters and is supported by the Walmart Foundation and the ConAgra Foods Foundation. 

The interactive tours will be led by Wal-Mart associates who will help participants learn to compare unit prices, purchase fruits and vegetables on a budget, read food labels and pick out whole grains. This is the first time Wal-Mart associates have been trained to lead the tours, which are usually run by community health advocates, nutritionists and chefs.

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After the tour, participants will apply skills learned to buy ingredients to make a healthy meal for a family of four, under $10. Each store will donate a $10 gift card to the first 25 people who sign up on www.strength.org/shoppingmattersday.

Chefs will be on hand in some stores, and locations in Baltimore and Bowie will feature appearances by athletes, games for children and healthy cooking demonstrations.

A recent survey released by Share Our Strength found that 85% of low-income families want to make healthy meals, but only about half are able to do so on a regular basis. Families cited the cost of healthy groceries as their primary obstacle. The program endeavors to help them stretch their food dollars in a healthy way, even on a food stamp budget.