The long slow agonising trip through the supermarket aisle of temptation with young dwarves in tow has always been one of a battle of wills as various sugary treats at the eye level of the young ones reach out and tempt the unwary. Tantrums ensue and young parents are censured for disciplining their children when they refuse to buy that sugary treat.
Supermarket merchandizers know and study how to eke the maximum spend out of shoppers at the most stressful time – every parent dreads walking down that final aisle to the checkout whilst supermarkets try their level best to up-sell and maximise spend at every turn.
Woolworths has been on its Good Food Journey for over 10 years, during which time significant steps have been taken towards providing customers with better choices. Some noteworthy milestones have included the announcement in 1999 that MSG and tartrazine would no longer be used, as well as substantial salt and sugar reductions in many existing foods products.
As the next step on this journey, Woolworths has made the decision to remove all sweets and chocolates from their checkout queues, reflecting a commitment to providing alternatives for children and parents.
Over the course of 2007 and 2008, Woolworths removed the equivalent of 20 million teaspoons (approximately 79 tonnes) of sugar from our chilled 100% juices and nectars, reduced the sugar content across the yoghurt range by 15% and gradually reduced the salt content used in making over 100 of its own-brand products, which has resulted in a dramatic reduction of 35.2 tonnes of salt. These include breads, cereals and deli meats, as well as biltong, cheese, boerewors, fish, party snacks and some of its frozen foods.
Spencer Sonn, member of the Foods Leadership Team at Woolworths, said, “I am delighted that we are committing to remove sweets and chocolates from our checkout aisles. Customers can trust that Woolworths has their best interests at heart, and as a father myself, I am very proud that we are leading the way on providing healthier kids’ options. We want to thank our customers for their continuing support and for their feedback on the kind of snacks they would like to see on the stands at pay points.”
Woolworths will be engaging with customers through panel discussions and focus groups to find out what alternatives they would like to see in the checkout aisles. The rollout will start with all new Woolworths stores, as well as large format stores.
Alan Straton
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Well done to Woolies. I wish other retailers would be forward thinking and follow suite. It is so unhealthy to pump cancer forming sugar into children. Woolies are way ahead of the pack.