HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM AND KROGER EXPAND PARTNERSHIP TO HELP CONSUMERS SHOP AND EAT SMARTER

Following the highly successful launch of a partnership to help consumers make healthier food choices, Henry Ford Health System and Kroger have expanded the program that puts registered dietitian nutritionists in grocery stores ready to answer any nutrition question from which soup is lower in sodium to which healthy foods are most affordable.

The expansion takes the Henry Ford LiveWell program into seven Kroger stores: Canton, Commerce Township, Jackson, Livonia, Royal Oak, Saint Clair Shores and Sterling Heights. Nutritionists will head to neighboring stores in April.

In addition to offering recipes and leading live cooking demonstrations, which were a feature of the Phase 1 of the program, Henry Ford nutritionists are now providing a different service each week, including Kroger store tours.

There are mini-tours such as the fish department and bread aisle and full-tours that cover every aisle. In March, which is National Nutrition Month, the tours will hit the baking and mac & cheese aisles.  Shoppers can pick up an Irish soda biscuits recipe and see a demo on stir-fry.

All demos and tours offer advice such as:

• Reading food labels
• Determining safe sodium levels
• Discerning which cuts of meat are leaner
• Preparing quick, tasty, healthy, budget-friendly dishes
• Maximizing nutrients in the food you buy
• Tending to special diets

For a $15 fee, a Henry Ford registered dietitian nutritionist will take customers on a tour of the entire store identifying healthier choices, providing purchasing and preparation tips and other nutrition education. All proceeds from the tours will benefit “Game On Cancer,” the ongoing partnership between Henry Ford Health System and the Detroit Lions, to raise money for patients and families battling all forms of cancer, as well as providing critical care research funding.

“We are thrilled that this partnership has helped so many consumers and their families already,” said Kimberlydawn Wisdom, M.D., senior vice president of community health & equity and chief wellness and diversity officer at Henry Ford Health System. “We see tremendous value in meeting people where they are, offering them health and wellness advice in such a convenient way. And knowing that funds from this program will be supporting the eradication of cancer is a great bonus.”

“Kroger is pleased to provide this opportunity for shoppers to interact with Henry Ford professionals in our stores,” said Rachel Hurst, consumer affairs manager, The Kroger Co. of Michigan. “The fees from the grocery store tours will directly help local families fighting cancer get the nutritious groceries they need, and that’s something we are so proud to support.”

For a list of dates and locations go to henryford.com/Kroger.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Kim North Shine
Media Relations
Henry Ford Health System
313-549-4995
knorth1@hfhs.org

Rachel Hurst
Consumer Affairs Manager
The Kroger Co. of Michigan
248-536-1523
Rachel.Hurst@Kroger.com

About Henry Ford Health System and Henry Ford LiveWell

Henry Ford Health System is a six-hospital system headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. It is one of the nation’s leading comprehensive, integrated health systems, recognized for clinical excellence and innovation. Henry Ford Health System provides both health insurance and health care delivery, including acute, specialty, primary and preventive care services backed by excellence in research and education. The system is a 2011 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient. Visit HenryFord.com to learn more.

Established in 2012, Henry Ford LiveWell is a virtual Wellness Center of Excellence designed to provide a unified voice for all Henry Ford Health System wellness initiatives and programming, and, create a consistent and exceptional wellness experience. For more information, please visit our website: HenryFordLiveWell.com.

About Kroger 

Incorporated in Michigan in 1909 and headquartered in Novi, The Kroger Co. of Michigan includes 19,000 associates, 126 Kroger stores, 75 fuel centers, 104 pharmacies and the Michigan Dairy.

 Kroger, one of the world's largest retailers, employs more than 375,000 associates who serve customers in 2,640 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 34 states and the District of Columbia under two dozen local banner names including Kroger, City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry's, Harris Teeter, Jay C, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith's.  The company also operates 786 convenience stores, 320 fine jewelry stores, 1,240 supermarket fuel centers and 38 food processing plants in the U.S. Recognized by Forbes as the most generous company in America, Kroger supports hunger relief, breast cancer awareness, the military and their families, and more than 30,000 schools and grassroots organizations. Kroger contributes food and funds equal to 200 million meals a year through more than 80 Feeding America food bank partners. A leader in supplier diversity, Kroger is a proud member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber's Million Dollar Club.