H-E-B to launch healthy-eating initiative

H-E-B is sharing with the public what it’s learned about its own employees’ wellness and on Friday will launch “Healthy at H-E-B” at the store at 2950 Southmost Blvd.

The company describes the effort as a “comprehensive commitment to improve the health of Texans.” As part of the initiative, H-E-B will showcase chef-inspired recipes at in-store cooking demonstrations designed to show customers how to make healthy, inexpensive meals.

To make ingredients for healthy recipes less expensive, H-E-B has created a “Healthy Savings” meal program, which will offer “bundles” of fresh ingredients plus recipes for a healthy meal that will feed four people for less than $10. H-E-B said it would invest some $20 million in Healthy at H-E-B by cutting prices on its most popular produce.

Kate Rogers, H-E-B vice president of communication and engagement, said eating fresh fruit and vegetables is vital to a healthy diet. As one of the state’s largest food retailers, the company feels a responsibility to teach its customers about proper nutrition, she said, adding that there are plenty of misconceptions about eating food that’s good for you.

“Folks think it’s more expensive, that it doesn’t taste good and it’s hard to make,” Rogers said.

The Southmost H-E-B’s “Total Store Event” starts on Friday and continues for two weeks, featuring cooking and fitness demonstrations. Beyond that, H-E-B will extend the hours of the free health screenings it holds every second Saturday at various stores. The screenings will take place year-round rather than the current nine months out of the year. Screenings, by showing people “their numbers,” often are what nudge them to change their dietary and exercise habits, Rogers said.

“That’s key, for people to really know what’s going on inside their bodies,” she said.

With the “Slim Down Showdown,” one of three special events under the Healthy at H-E-B umbrella, 25 customers will have the opportunity to compete in a 16-week weight-loss challenge for $10,000 in prize money. H-E-B will provide coaching and support, meal plans and exercise regimens, plus make all the information public so anyone can follow along.

“Ready, Set, Move” and “Ready, Set, Cook” will encourage customers to take part in physical activity and get them into the kitchen cooking healthy meals.

Rogers said Healthy at H-E-B is modeled on programs the company has used internally to encourage its 76,000 employees statewide to eat well and exercise. She said the company has had a solid wellness program in place for several years but recently “really ramped up the effort to create an internal culture of health.”

As a result, the company has been very successful in keeping its health costs down at a time they’re spiraling elsewhere, Rogers said.

“At some point what we’re really talking about is behavior change, which is really hard,” she said.

To make change easier, the company has created an extensive support network for employees trying to change their habits. The company’s wellness programs have produced a number of positive results over a brief period of time, Rogers said.

“We’re not trying to get people to change all at once,” she said. “It’s one thing at a time.”

Rogers said promoting proper diet and exercise ties in well with the company’s efforts to improve child literacy. Children who eat well and are active perform better in school, healthier children miss fewer days of school, and proper nutrition equals better concentration and more energy, she said.

“From our point of view they’re so interwoven that we’ve tried to the extent possible to tackle them both,” Rogers said. “They’re probably two of the biggest issues we’re facing as a state.”