Nutrition Guide Program Deborah M. Harris, MPH, RDN, CDE Dietitian, Business Development

Nutrition Guide Program Dietitian Approved! We did the Work The Nutrition Guide Program (NGP) is a credible, dietitian-approved intervention that aims to improve dietary choices and the overall quality of the diet of the military community. Deployed worldwide in the January 2017 Point of sale information system that highlights key nutrient attributes of store products. Sales data shows NGP tagged items out performing category Greatest increase in “high performance/nutrient dense foods” Bullet 1: The commissary is an integral part of the installation that is used by service members and their families throughout the course of their military career and beyond retirement—as such DeCA plays a major role in influencing the health and wellness of the military community—and is truly a key asset in supporting the mission of readiness and resilience. DeCA worked in partnership with DoD activities and Service branch health and wellness leads to align the NGP as closely as possible to the DoD’s “Go For Green” program that is deployed in military dining facilities to guide service members in making food choices that promote optimal health and performance. Sub Bullet 1- Nothing Sub Bullet 2-The program is consists of five nutrient attributes and one lifestyle attribute: Low sodium, No added sugar, Low-fat, Whole grain, Good source of fiber, Certified Organic (lifestyle) Qualification for the attributes is based on Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) criteria. NGP items with the “Thumbs up” icon align closely with the Green category in the “Go for Green” Program- which means the items are nutrient dense, high performance foods. Items that qualify for an attribute(s) but do not meet the criteria for a “Thumbs up” icon will still have a label that displays the nutrient attribute(s). Sub Bullet 3- Store signage and educational material that guides patrons on how to use se of the NGP to build a healthy shopping basket will be available at the store and is also posted commissaries.com under the Healthy Living section.

Nutrition Guide Program DeCA contracted with Vestcom DeCA purchased data for five nutrition attributes: Whole Grain Good Source of Fiber Low Sodium Low Fat No Sugar Added One lifestyle attribute elements USDA Certified Organic Items in DeCA’s NGP categories run thru Universal Filter Vestcom is an established shelf-edge solution retailer that provides retail labels to over to thousands of grocers nationwide-to include pricing and advertising. The Healthy Aisles program, based on FDA and USDA guidelines is the nutrition and lifestyle attribute labeling arm of Vestcom. Based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the focus of DOD—reason for selected nutrition attributes. Organics selected based patron desires and focus on DOD.

Nutrition Guide Program Categories included in DeCA’s NGP for Nutrition Attributes Output of all qualifying items provided to DeCA DeCA’s NGP in Collaboration with DoD Health and Wellness Leads Chilled meats, potatoes, liquid eggs Baking goods Condiments Frozen foods and canned goods Grains, pasta, and side dishes Cereal & breakfast foods Snacks Soups Dairy Beverages (no water) Bread Most food items and beverages w ere included for the organic attribute—Fresh Meat, Fresh Seafood and Fresh produce were not included in the entire labeling program.

Nutrition Guide Program To promote positive behavior change, health promotion interventions need to take place where people eat, work, play, and shop The Go4Green (G4G) program is targeted at military dining facilities. Items are tagged based on their nutrient quality and are called out for being “high performance” and “low/poor performance” meal items Green items are nutrient dense – and high performance promoting System focuses on prepared entrees and items ready to eat

Nutrition Guide Program NGP’s Retail Goal Align the criteria for tagging grocery items as closely as possible with DoD’s Go4Green (G4G) to gain secondary endorsers and ultimately drive traffic and increase sales Marketed the concept of alignment with DoD health and wellness stakeholders by: Supports the mission of a ready and resilient military community Results in point of sale information that is robust enough to influence healthier purchasing behaviors Can meet the overall food consumption goals of G4G in building a healthy eating pattern Shows what products to purchase to build meals Is present throughout the career Reinforces nutrient density and performance while increasing self-efficacy

Nutrition Guide Program

Nutrition Guide Program Poster Rack Card Front Rack Card Back

Nutrition Guide Program

Nutrition Guide Program

Nutrition Guide Program Produce Section Poster March 2017 CONUS stores Encourages F/V consumption Pulls NGP to Produce Section

Nutrition Guide Program Only products that are in the HealthyAisles database can be evaluated for attributes Requests to have products added to the database and evaluated for attributes can be done by contacting Vestcom POC is Jenny Reicks, RD - Jreicks@Vestcom.com or (952) 412-2325 Questions concerning attribute qualification and product status in the HealthyAisles database can be addressed to Vestcom Note- how to get

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