Sainsbury’s is to highlight the health credentials of its own-label products in stores with a new ‘Healthy Choice’ logo.
Beginning in January, Sainsbury’s will add the new green logo to 1,300 of its existing and new own-label products, considered to be healthier choices.
The “easy to spot” circle aims to highlight the nutritional quality of food and drink products, for example those high in fibre, protein, omega-3 or calcium, or which count as “one of the 5 a day”.
Sainsbury’s announced the launch this week alongside a swathe of new health-focused and functional NPD. The most significant – which was revealed by The Grocer exclusively last week – is an own-label “first” range of raw-pressed juices and shots manufactured in partnership with The Turmeric Co.
That will be followed up on 22 January with a new By Sainsbury’s Kefir Drink, and a Strawberry variant to follow later in the year. Sainsbury’s will also add two kefir yoghurt products, in Plain and Raspberry flavours, as well as three By Sainsbury’s added-protein fat-free yoghurts in Cherry & Vanilla, Mango & Passionfruit and Strawberry flavours.
Supermarkets commonly announce healthier NPD launches and promotions during January, to coincide with shoppers embarking on new-year health kicks. However, Sainsbury’s also hopes to reinvigorate its efforts to meet a long-term target to increase the number of “healthy and better-for-you products” it sells, which have stalled over recent years.
The supermarket aims for 85% of its total sales to be healthy and better-for-you products by the 2025/26 financial year. It reached 82% during 2021/22, but has since slipped to 80.9%, according to the supermarket’s latest Plan For Better report.
The Grocer first reported that Sainsbury’s was set for a new-year shakeup of its healthy food offer in December, after the majority of products in its health-focused Flourish range began to disappear from shelves.
“At Sainsbury’s, we’re committed to making everyday healthy essentials affordable and accessible for all our customers and initiatives like Aldi Price Match, Nectar Prices and the introduction of our new Healthy Choice Icon are key to this mission,” said Nilani Sritharan, Sainsbury’s head of healthy and sustainable diets.
“We know that customers’ health needs and preferences vary, so we’re truly excited to be launching a range of functional juices, protein yoghurts and kefir drinks to customers looking for high-protein snacks or simple ways to incorporate more fruits, vegetables and nutrients into their diet,” Sritharan.
Sainsbury’s is not the only retailer looking to add new health labels to its products. In December, Waitrose unveiled a new ‘Plant Varieties’ packaging label to highlight own-label products that contain a high number of plants, as well as a new long-term target to increase the proportion of fruit and veg it sells.
Waitrose hailed the move as a UK supermarket first, however it closely followed a similar promotion by Holland & Barrett, which began promoting ‘Plant Points’ on its own-brand products after the relaunch of its food and drink category in September 2023.
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