Live Well: Centra reveals increase in health-consciousness
Since kicking off last year, Centra's Live Well programme has provided customers with healthier options throughout stores, leading to a marked reduction in sugary drinks and junk food in customers' baskets.
Print25 July 2016
We have all become more health conscious in recent years, and to back up the anecdotal evidence this week Centra has revealed research showing a shift in shopper behaviour. Over the past 12 months, according to Centra’s research conducted by Red C, two-thirds of adults admit to making more of an effort to live healthily. Meanwhile, four out of five people feel they are more conscious about their food intake compared to one year ago, while two-thirds of the nation admit to consciously checking the ingredients in what they eat.
Centra’s research comes one year after the company launched its Live Well initiative in which it moved to promote healthy snacks and drinks ahead of sugary drinks and junk food. The company has decreased shelf space for sugary drinks in that time, helping to reduce the calorie intake of its customers by 125m calories – the equivalent of 7.8m spoons of sugar taken out of baskets. Consumers’ appetite for this change is reflected in the company’s sales of €17m in Live Well branded products over the past year.
Sarah Keogh, consultant dietician with eatwell.ie and member of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute recalls that at the beginning of Centra’s Live Well intitiative, shoppers were confused about healthy eating, specifically they thought it was too difficult or expensive. “Many saw healthy eating as an all-or-nothing appraoch,” says Keogh.
“Centra is not a health food store but with more than 460 shops nationawide, it has atively taken steps to make healthy eating easier and more convenient for people. We plan to continue to build on the success of Live Well, and work towards and more health-aware Ireland.”
Pippa O’Connor, Live Well ambassador said the shift in attitude towards healthy choices over the past year definitely applies to her. “Over the past year, I’ve become more conscious about what I put in the basket and my family has really seen the benefits,” she said. “Initiatives like Live Well make it easy to grab those healthy choices, especially when you’re short on time.
“I like to grab and go,” Pippa O’Connor said, “but I always want to eat well.”
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