Can Wal-Mart Make 140 Million Americans Healthier?
posted by Eric Steinman Jan 21, 2011 1:04 pmfiled under: Conscious Consumer, Diet & Nutrition, Eating for Health, Family Life, Following Food, Food & Recipes, News & Issues, big box store, let's move, obama, obesity, trans fat, Wal-mart, walmartQuestion: If the price of an organic apple (packaged in Styrofoam and tightly wrapped in plastic) falls in a Walmart store, and no one is interested in buying it, will it make a sound, or even a difference?
Walmart officials seem to think so. This week Walmart, with the help and backing of first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Campaign, unleashed an ambitious five-year campaign to clean up the companies somewhat dismal nutritional profile (and tarnished reputation) by increasing healthy food offerings, reducing fresh produce prices, and generally improving access to affordable food. Walmart’s new initiative aims to reduce sugar by 10 percent, sodium by 25 percent, and eliminate industrially produced trans fat in its store brand line, Great Value, by 2015. In addition to cutting out the fat, sugar, and salt in Walmart products, the company is set to lower prices on fresh fruit and vegetables. This will no doubt cut into the companies profits (one of the components of the business that they company rabidly protects) but Walmart officials are optimistic that it will make up for the loss in profits with an increase in sales volume.
Walmart sells more groceries than any other company in the country (140 million shoppers per week) so the impact of this development has the potential to be significant. And on the surface, this decision seems to be an overwhelmingly positive step for the company, and the 140 million people who choose (or are compelled because of an utter lack of options) to feed their family on Walmart groceries. But you cannot overlook the pragmatism of this decision. Walmart has been under fire for quite sometime because of their shabby record on everything from workers rights to trade bullying, and while companies like Whole Foods (a company with not exactly a spot-free record) grab much of the market share of the growing natural and organics sector, it only makes sense for Walmart to do what they can to hang on to customers and potentially cultivate new ones. In the most cynical of terms, Walmart are pursuing this initiative because it presents a significant opportunity to grow revenue and profits for the company. If they can save lives by going a little lighter on the value packs of Mountain Dew and Pringles, and there is a tangible benefit for their customers along with an appealing PR spin, then why the hell not?
If we want to really indulge our cynicism, we could poke some holes in the plan for not being ambitious enough, specifically because these changes are not expected to be fully realized for another five years (between now and then, there will assuredly be a few more cases of obesity and heart disease). And some ardent critics of Walmart’s business practices will no doubt take issue with the fact that, by lowering profits on such things as organic apples and produce, that Walmart will very likely squeeze more product for less cost out of local growers and farmers. And the company, which many critics blame for the proliferation of “food deserts” throughout the country (places where the availability of fresh and healthy food options are slim or non-existent), now claims that they will address this problem by…(wait for it) opening more stores. I am not so sure this is the answer to our problem, but if Walmart 2.0 becomes the largest purveyor of healthy and nutritious foods in the country, it may, at least, be better than what we are contending with now.
Leslie Dach, Wal-Mart’s executive vice president for corporate affairs recently told The New York Times, “We’ve always said that we don’t think the Wal-Mart shopper should have to choose between a product that is healthier for them and what they can afford.” But sadly, this has been the case for over a decade. That said, it does feel somewhat like a positive baby step forward that a company like Walmart is moved to provide a better nutritional standard for their shoppers (regardless of where the motivations reside). In your view, will this change make enough of a difference? Would this compel you to shop at Walmart, or is this just good news for the 140 million weekly already frequenting the Walmart aisles? Can mega-corporations like Walmart make a positive impact on how and what Americans eat, or will their bottom line motivations ultimately sell their customers short?
Eric Steinman is a freelance writer based in Rhinebeck, N.Y. He regularly writes about food, music, art, architecture and culture and is a regular contributor to Bon Appétit among other publications.More on Conscious Consumer (428 articles available)
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82 comments add your comment
- Muriel D. says
- Jan 22, 2011 4:59 PM
I wish they would work with the local farmers and help the communities in which they do business. It is not very "green" to ship organic produce from 1500 miles away...
- Susie B. says
- Jan 22, 2011 4:59 PM
Not my choice, but it's a start and potentially a good thing for the struggling and/or large families who may not have the luxury to make as many choices for shopping.
- Olivia Schlosser says
- Jan 22, 2011 3:55 PM
Thanks...but don't trust Wally-world. Grow my own and buy local and organic.
- Kris H. says
- Jan 22, 2011 2:54 PM
I hope Wal-Mart does offer organic produce at lower prices. Being on a fixed income makes it more difficult to eat healthier. This would be a nice thing to happen. Also for the Wal-Mart bashers out there....I worked for Target for a couple of years. A good friend worked at Wal-Mart. She made $4.00 an hour more than I did at Target. Just saying...........
- Lynn C. says
- Jan 22, 2011 2:33 PM
The bottom line is are they going to cheat? "Green" labels might just mislead instead of encourage a true change of diet.
- David J. says
- Jan 22, 2011 1:35 PM
I'm glad to see so many are informed about the Wal Mart propaganda. I worked for them for 7+ years and saw first hand how they treated employees and vendors. It is the corporate mentality of Wal Mart to lie rather than tell the truth and say it so well as to have people believe it. It is a good thing that Wal Mart says it will have healthier food. Bet their vendors take the heat. what I've seen in the past that Wal Mart will NOT hurt their bottom line for anything or anybody. If profits go down so do their employee's hours or they will lay some off. They will expect to get the same work out the remaining people and with less hours. That is the Wal Mart way.
Only thing I can honestly say is "WAL MART SUCKS THE BIG ONE!!!!!"
- Neil G. says
- Jan 22, 2011 1:26 PM
I appreciate the information in Care2 articles, but could you hire a couple of editors? Some of the grammatical mistakes in your articles are so blatant and confusing that I have to read a sentence two or three times to understand what the writer is trying to convey.
- Steve F. says
- Jan 22, 2011 12:41 PM
If wallyworld is making these changes, it is only for their bottom line. They care nothing about the welfare of the people - in particular their employees. Walmart pays their people so poorly that you can be full time employed by them and still qualify for government assistance. You and I, with our taxes, have to subsidize walmart employees. It's a damn shame that the desire to make the world a better place for all has been replaced with the search for the almighty dollar.
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Can Wal-Mart Make 140 Million Americans Healthier? | Care2 Healthy & Green Living
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