To Gain Trust, Put Facts Up Front

Facts Up Front helps educate shoppers on making informed choices at the shelf. To start, retailers can register at Retail.FactsUpFront.org so they can access the style guide, assets and other elements to employ these resources at their stores.

The Food Marketing Institute and Grocery Manufacturers Association recently launched a retail in-store program related to Facts Up Front, a voluntary initiative to display Nutrition Facts Panel information on the front of food packages. Facts Up Front labels display how many calories and how much saturated fat, sodium and sugar is in each serving. Some labels may also provide information about nutrients, such as fiber and calcium.

Today, more than 60 companies are implementing Facts Up Front. These companies represent about 70% of branded sales nationally and make up almost 80% of private label SKUs. Consumers have responded to the Facts Up Front campaign by engaging on the website, Facebook and more.

A new in-store marketing toolkit is available for food retailers to facilitate participation in the Facts Up Front campaign. It includes coordinated communications tools such as:

• Retail signage (shelf blades, end caps, pallet wraps, etc.), FSI templates and style guide;
• Sample blog posts, web site copy and on-hold scripts;
• Tools for registered dietitians working in store; and
• Customer service tools for store associates.

The complete kit is available online at Retail.FactsUpFront.org and allows for customization, including the addition of banner logos. Companies can visit the retail portal, download the tools they want to execute at retail, and use their preferred vendors for printing and fulfillment. Retailers are encouraged to call a meeting of their Facts Up Front participating suppliers to jointly plan and execute promotions in-store.

Cathy Polley, RPh, is Vice President, Health & Wellness, FMI & Executive Director, FMI Foundation