As the Food as Medicine movement gains traction, grocery retailers are uniquely positioned to lead the way. With 60% of Americans impacted by diet-related diseases and over $268 billion in grocery spend linked to managing these conditions, grocers have both a public health opportunity — and a bottom-line incentive — to expand nutrition-forward services.

Forward-thinking retailers like Hy-vee, Weis Markets, and Big Y are already seeing returns. By integrating Healthie’s infrastructure for virtual care and engagement, they’ve scaled their wellness initiatives, driven new revenue opportunities, and deepened shopper loyalty — all while improving health outcomes.

The Grocery Opportunity: Wellness Meets the Aisle

Today’s consumer is hungry for more than just healthy food — they want accessible, expert-driven nutrition guidance, too. With over 200 food decisions made each day (Wansink & Sobal, 2007), dietitian-led programs are proving to be key influencers on consumer behavior and loyalty.

Retailers that invest in virtual wellness services stand to:

• Improve customer health outcomes
• Differentiate their brand in a competitive landscape
• Drive product sales through strategic programming
• Increase shopper retention and average basket size

Dietitians: The Driving Force Behind Grocery Store Innovation

At the heart of every successful retail wellness program is a registered dietitian. With advanced clinical training, deep nutritional expertise, and a consumer-first mindset, dietitians are uniquely qualified to translate food into actionable health interventions.

Retail dietitians do more than consult — they innovate:

• Personalized care: They tailor nutrition guidance to meet the unique needs of diverse populations, addressing chronic disease, food insecurity, cultural preferences, and more.
• Behavior change experts: Dietitians apply evidence-based strategies to influence purchasing behavior and foster long-term healthy habits.
• Revenue drivers: Through curated product recommendations, recipe demos, and health-focused promotions, dietitians directly impact product sales and shopper loyalty.
• Cross-functional collaborators: They work across merchandising, marketing, community relations, and pharmacy to create cohesive wellness experiences.
• Clinical credibility: With credentials like RD, RDN, and LDN, retail dietitians add legitimacy and trust to a grocer’s health offerings.

As consumers increasingly view grocery stores as wellness destinations, dietitians are the strategic linchpins turning that vision into reality.

“Food is medicine, but dietitians are the clinical translators. Their expertise ensures that health messaging, product placement, and consumer support are not only engaging — but effective.” — Stefanie Mendez, Registered Dietitian and Director of Marketing at Healthie. 

By equipping retail dietitians with modern tools like Healthie, grocers can unlock new levels of customer engagement, loyalty, and health outcomes — while future-proofing their business in a changing landscape.

Weis Markets: Scaling Nutrition and Wellness Across Regions

Challenge: Weis Markets had a robust in-store dietitian program but struggled to engage shoppers beyond store walls. Limitations in virtual capabilities, geographic reach, and ROI tracking constrained growth. Launching new programs was time-consuming and resource-heavy.

Solution: Weis Markets turned to Healthie to digitize and scale their Nutrition and Wellness Services.

• Expanded geographic reach through virtual programming and webinars
• Boosted engagement with digital coupons, recipes, and resources
• Increased attendance and reduced no-show rates for events
• Enhanced ROI tracking via Healthie’s analytics and reporting tools
• Improved visibility through seamless website and social media integration

“Through various offerings including virtual cooking classes and nutrition consultations, we are able to connect with customers no matter where they are located to help them reach their nutrition goals.” — Kimberly Asman, Senior Regional Dietitian

📖 Read the full Weis Markets case study → https://www.gethealthie.com/success-stories/weis-market

Big Y: Elevating Virtual Wellness With Healthie

Challenge: Big Y recognized the rising demand for nutrition support but needed to scale its wellness services efficiently. With a small team of part-time dietitians, the challenge was to expand their reach and offer comprehensive services without overwhelming internal teams.

Solution: Big Y leveraged Healthie to streamline operations, expand services, and drive shopper engagement.

• 60%+ conversion rates from program registration to active participation
• Expanded access to wellness services beyond store locations
• Increased sales of featured ingredients and sponsor products
• Enhanced client experience through Healthie’s client app, telehealth, food journaling, and virtual care tools

Under the be well™ with Big Y® Nutrition Program, the team offered:

• Discovery sessions
• Virtual store tours
• Interactive cooking demos
• Chronic disease management education

“Healthie provides robust, easy-to-use and secure solutions that help streamline Virtual Nutrition Programs for retail dietitians and consumers alike.” — Andrea Luttrell, RDN, LDN

📖 Read the full Big Y case study → https://www.gethealthie.com/success-stories/big-y

Powering the Future of Retail Wellness: Healthie’s Infrastructure for Scale

As consumer demand grows for food-as-medicine solutions, retail organizations need more than one-off programs — they need a scalable infrastructure that supports care delivery, data tracking, and customer engagement across locations. 

Healthie is a healthcare infrastructure platform purpose-built to power nutrition and wellness services at scale. With capabilities that span telehealth, scheduling, engagement, data tracking, and outcomes reporting, Healthie empowers grocery retailers to launch and grow high-impact nutrition programs — all from a centralized platform.

For retail dietitians, Healthie offers:

• Virtual-first workflows that eliminate geographic constraints
• Tools for group classes, webinars, and ongoing programs
• Secure, HIPAA-compliant communication with shoppers
• Personalized care plans, journaling, and behavior tracking

For retail leadership, Healthie provides:

• A branded, tech-enabled customer experience
• Real-time data on engagement, ROI, and product sales lift
• Seamless integrations with web and marketing tools
• Scalable operations across locations and dietitian teams

Whether launching a virtual store tour program or scaling 1:1 counseling across multiple states, retailers like Hy-vee, Weis Markets, and Big Y trust Healthie to deliver technology, compliance, and operational support — so their teams can focus on delivering care and driving shopper loyalty.

Ready to bring Food as Medicine to your aisles?
Let’s talk about how Healthie can power your retail wellness strategy. Send an email to info@gethealthie.com