Many studies suggest that sugar could have a harmful effect on health, causing people to pack on the pounds and putting them at an increased risk of diseases such as diabetes or heart disease. In a push to promote healthy food, CVS has announced its plans to drop sugar-filled snacks from its displays in favor of healthier alternatives.
CVS Pharmacy unveiled a new store model that devotes more space to healthy food, supplements, natural cosmetics and other health-focused products. To make space for these new healthy products, it is reducing the amount of space devoted to high-sugar foods such as candy.
According to CVS, the store redesign is a response to customer demands for more healthy food. Customers are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of eating too much sugar, which is leading them to seek out healthy food options.
Some experts have likened the way people are turning away from sugar to the way companies have stopped promoting tobacco over the last couple of decades. According to Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition of New York University, CVS is adopting "a serious approach to trying to create a healthier environment in its stores."
As well as making more healthy food available to consumers, CVS is also keen to help people work out which foods are the healthiest choices for them. The company is rolling out a series of shelf tags, which help customers quickly identify the products that are high in protein, gluten-free, sugar-free, organic or free from GMOs.
However, some experts worry that some of these labels could be misleading. According to Marion Nestle, customers assume products contain fewer calories if they are labeled as organic.
Giving consumers more information is a major trend across the retail and food service industries. Many companies are working to make nutrition information more available to consumers, which allows consumers to make healthier choices about the food they eat.
Eating less sugar could help people across the nation to improve their health. By choosing healthy food over candy and water over soda, Americans can drastically cut their sugar consumption, which could help them to lose some weight, and therefore reduce their risk of a wide variety of diseases. As CVS begins to promote healthy food and provide more information about the types of food available in its stores, customers may begin to make healthier choices about the kinds of snacks they want to consume.
By dropping sugar-filled snacks at the checkout and promoting healthy food in its stores, CVS is joining the recent trend toward healthy eating and greater nutritional awareness. This move to cut back on sugar follows the pushback against tobacco products that has taken place over the last couple of decades.
Photo courtesy of Ambro at Mike Mozart at Flickr.com
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