Harris Teeter, Matthews, N.C. has launched Free From 101, a new shelf labeling program designed to encourage store shoppers to make healthy food choices by identifying items that are free from preservatives, additives, antibiotics, artificial colors and sweeteners.
The wholly-owned subsidiary of The Kroger Co. says the items will be identified with blue explanatory bib tags on shelves throughout the store, making it easy for shoppers to find free-from products without having to read every product ingredient label.
Shoppers can also go online to view the company's full list of 101 ingredients the program tests for.
Providing transparency for health-conscious consumers, the grocery retailer's new Free From 101 program helps saves customers time by clearly tagging its free-from products on store shelves, a move that should capture shopper attention and strengthen brand loyalty. The ingredients list the products do not contain range from antibiotics, disodium calcium EDTA and propyl gallate to BHA and BHT, sodium benzoate, ethyl vanillin, tartrazine and several others.
The results of the first-of-a-kind program may encourage other supermarket retailers to follow Harris Teeter's lead with their own plans. But the system could also negatively impact sales of traditionally unhealthy products.
