IGA Partners with USDA to Create a Healthier Living Marketing Event for 2009

The IGA Hometown Healthy Challenge Incorporates the MyPyramid Platform to Deliver Healthier Living Solutions for Shoppers

Chicago, IL - IGA USA today was officially named by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a Charter MyPyramid Corporate Challenge Partner at a formal media unveiling and expo event in Washington, D.C. During the expo IGA was recognized for the development of a MyPyramid-based marketing event that will help IGA shoppers make healthier food and lifestyle choices.

In 2009 the MyPyramid concept will be introduced into IGA’s marketing lineup through the IGA Hometown Healthy Challenge, an event that will be held in IGA stores Feb.15 – March 14. The event will encourage IGA shoppers to recognize and experience MyPyramid’s “Steps to a Healthier You” platform through a MyPyramid consumer education sweepstakes with fitness-oriented consumer prizes. With the support of IGA’s Licensed Distribution Centers (LDCs) and Red Oval Family manufacturing partners, IGA stores will also offer during a two-week time period within the event valuable savings on healthier food choices from family-favorite brands.

The Corporate Challenge was developed by USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion to showcase the role industry plays as partners with government in promoting healthy food and lifestyle choices. Participating corporations were challenged to develop innovative programs that reinforce the MyPyramid message.

The MyPyramid platform features a deliberately simple symbol that represents the recommended proportion of foods from each food group and focuses on the importance of making smart food choices in every food group. Also present in the MyPyramid symbol is a physical activity element. The MyPyramid platform is completed by a food guidance system, MyPyramid.gov, that delivers the MyPyramid’s “Steps to a Healthier You” message and provides an interactive, individualized approach to improving diet and lifestyle.

According to IGA USA CEO Mark Batenic, the decision to incorporate the MyPyramid “Steps to a Healthier You” platform into one of IGA’s four marketing events in 2009 was in direct response to consumers’ growing focus on health and wellness, and IGA Retailers’ desire to provide healthy lifestyle solutions for their customers. “Our IGA Retailers are more than just grocery store owners in the towns they operate – they are concerned community leaders who work to anticipate and meet the needs of their friends and neighbors,” Batenic said. “The event’s focus on balanced diet and exercise gives our retailers a vehicle for promoting a healthy lifestyle among their shoppers. We look forward to seeing how our retailers will leverage this event to meet the needs of their individual communities.”

“USDA welcomes IGA as a partner in our efforts to equip consumers with the information that they need to make smart decisions about eating more healthfully and being more physically active,” said Dr. Brian Wansink, executive director of USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. “Working together, we can begin to achieve immediate changes to help IGA’s shoppers make better decisions for their families.”

IGA is the world’s largest voluntary supermarket network with aggregate worldwide retail sales of more than $21 billion per year. The Alliance includes nearly 4,000 Hometown Proud Supermarkets worldwide, supported by 36 distribution companies and more than 55 major manufacturers, vendors and suppliers encompassing everything from grocery to equipment items. IGA has operations in 46 of the United States and more than 40 countries, commonwealths and territories on all six inhabited continents.