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Much has been written about retailer efforts to include pharmacy in more of their health and wellness strategies. The thinking is that the department is a logical choice for many initiatives that go beyond dispensing prescriptions and hold flu shot clinics.

The problem has been an invisible barrier that keeps retailers from integrating it into the rest of the store. The perception persists that the clinical, dispassionate environment in most pharmacy areas can’t be reconciled with the high-touch, interactive atmosphere promoted in the rest of the store.

Like most perceptions, of course, this isn’t true. Many people know from experience that talking with a pharmacist is about as intimate as one can get in a supermarket setting. You’re talking about your medical conditions, your health and the medications you’re taking.

So, instead of trying to direct customers into the store, one retailer is turning the idea on its head and bringing more of the store into the pharmacy. That chain is Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans, which announced it is setting up healthy food displays next to the pharmacy counter as part of its “eat well live well” wellness program. For instance, summer berries might be there now, replaced by citrus fruits or soup in the winter, and whole-grain snacks before the Super Bowl. MORE…

We’ve just had a chance to review some of the conclusions reached in the 2010 Market Overview from Natural Foods Merchandiser, a sister publication here at Penton Media that covers the independent operator channel. What struck us is the level of optimism these indy owners have, in spite of the recession and continued high unemployment. Among the top-line findings:

• Net profit margins fell to 5% last year, down from 8% in 2008.

• Revenues remained in the $1.2 million to $1.5 million range.

• Net sales grew almost 9% in 2009, but when adjusted for store closings, and weighted based on the number of stores per category, sales grew 3.4%.

This channel, comprised of natural products stores, health food stores and supplements stores, saw overall food sales drop along with margins — but it’s not all due to the economy. MORE…

At last month’s Fancy Food Show in NYC, we stumbled upon a booth that is a mixologist’s dream come true. (Before I tell you about it, first let me ask: When did bartenders stop being called bartenders and morph into mixologists? What is the proper etiquette in terms of whether you call someone a bartender or a mixologist? If anyone can educate me, I’d be truly grateful).

Now, back to our discoveries. It was a small booth that was humming with activity. Okay, so it could have been the neat little bar, complete with an accomplished mixologist, that really kept the joint jumping, but after sampling their wares, I understood.

The booth was Tillen Farms. Their products ranged from pickled veggies like dilly beans, crispy carrots and asparagus, both spicy and regular; all absolutely delish and perfect on an antipasti platter or as natural and edible stirrers in your favorite bar drink!

But the item that really caught my eye was a jar of all-natural maraschino cherries, aptly named Merry Maraschino Cherries. They really took me back. As a kid, I loved the few times that we got to eat out at a local restaurant, usually lunch since money was tight, and I always, always, always ordered a Shirley Temple. As an adult, I learned how commercial maraschino cherries were made and that was the end of my love affair with them… that is, until now. MORE…

Sourcing local is a challenge, and selling it is no picnic either. So hats off to Fresh & Easy’s ambitious “Farm to Store in 24” program, which guarantees local produce will be on shelves less than a day after it leaves the farm. The Tesco-owned supermarket chain, which operates 150 stores out west, says the program has been a resounding success — so successful, in fact, that they’re going to expand it.

As much as 65% of Fresh & Easy’s seasonal produce comes from California farms, and that percentage is set to increase as the retailer takes on more growers. This isn’t as simple as going out and shaking hands with a few farmers and telling them the truck will be by next week, however. It’s a collaborative effort, full of the eventualities that come with seasonal growing. Both parties have to do their fair share towards meeting that tight deadline.

“Getting produce from the farm to the store in 24 hours or less is an incredibly tricky task, which makes it important to partner with strong local growers who share our commitment to quality produce,” said Justin Hill, Fresh & Easy’s produce manager, in a statement.

The end result is worth all the effort. This summer’s lineup includes table grapes from the Coachella Valley and strawberries from farmers in Ventura County and Watsonville, on land overlooking the Pacific Ocean. MORE…

It’s a perennial problem faced by the food industry: There is always too much of a good thing.

The latest case involves inulin, an ingredient that’s answered the prayers of manufacturers looking to add fiber to their products. As a result, American consumers looking to boost their fiber intake have been finding more products on the shelves labeled as a “Good Source of Fiber” in large part thanks to inulin, which is extracted from the chicory root.

The choice of inulin as an ingredient has been helped immensely by its properties. It can be chemically manipulated to mimic tastes and textures that appeal to consumers. “It’s like a food manufacturer’s nirvana,” Joanne Slavin, a registered dietitian in the department of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota at St. Paul, told Reuters.

Slavin and some colleagues conducted research to find out how this increase in inulin consumption was affecting a person’s health. The group studied just over two dozen healthy individuals between the ages of 18 to 60. The group that was fed 5- or 10-gram doses of inulin reported a number of unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms. MORE…

The recession hasn’t been very kind to natural and organic retailers, but there have been a few bright spots — and the brightest one, many will agree, has been the bulk department.

Yes, bulk: Those rows of plastic bins stretching down the aisles that, at just the pull of a lever, dispense everything from trail mix to chocolate nibs to shampoo. Shoppers can save money by taking as much or as little as they want, and save packaging by using the thin produce bags that, at a growing number of stores, come in biodegradable varieties.

Bulk is cheap, and bulk is green. But bulk is also different, and that makes it a complicated opportunity for many of the retailers, especially the mainstream ones, that are jumping on the trend.

To figure out how to best manage the category, I turned to an expert: Doug Sanders, president of Sprouts Farmers Market. Sprouts now operates 50 stores throughout the Southwest, and at each one, bulk is the star.

“The dead center of our store is the bulk department,” said Sanders. “Produce and bulk combined probably take up 30% of our store.”

Inside the department, Sprouts customers can find time-honored favorites like nuts and granola, as well as more modern, gourmet fare like dark chocolate pieces and cranberry-infused trail mixes. The latter choices, Sanders noted, are doing particularly well right now, in light of consumer awareness of antioxidants. MORE…

When Hiller’s Markets does something, there are no half steps. If you read CEO Jim Hiller’s blog, A Message From The Helm, you know he posts regularly, on a universe of topics ranging from local food to the love he has for his aging Scottish Deerhound.

The 7-store chain also boasts that it has the largest selection of gluten-free items in its home state of Michigan, and publishes a gluten-free newsletter. Gluten-free foods are clearly marked on the shelf, where customers will find “Celiac Specialty Foods” as well as additional choices among Hiller’s homemade prepared foods.

The same thorough treatment is given to foods for diabetics, vegans and other diet-related categories. More recently, the grocer started stocking more low-salt and salt-free products, also clearly labeled with easy-to-identify tags.

Now, Hiller’s is embarking on an effort that complements the products in the aisle, the signage and labels and the newsletters. The retailer is launching Hiller’s Health Tours. This series of store tours is described as “a new community outreach program, staffed by nutritionists, doctors, food specialists and other medical experts.” MORE…

In Baltimore, there’s a newly appointed “food czar”. In Detroit, inner-city grocers offering fresh foods receive financial support. And in Syracuse, N.Y., a “Mobile Market” truck delivers fruits and vegetables to low-income consumers.

The issue of food deserts — communities without access to fresh foods and produce — is no longer the elephant in the room for U.S. cities. Thanks to a considerable amount of advocacy and media attention, fueled in recent months by the Obama administration’s focus on the problem, municipalities all over are finding creative ways to increase the delivery of healthy foods to the people who arguably need them most.

Supermarkets are key partners in this process. Wegmans, for one, sells produce at cost to Syracuse’s Farm Fresh Mobile Market and offers access to its network of local farmers. Modeled after a similar effort in Oakland, Calif., the Mobile Market makes a dozen stops each week throughout the city and accepts food stamps, as well as EBT cards and WIC funds. Hen House Market in Kansas City, meanwhile, has taken a similar step, partnering with local growers’ co-op Good Natured Family Farms to hold inner-city farmers markets.

One of the most interesting new programs is Baltimore’s “virtual supermarket”. Customers can order fresh foods online, and then collect them after they’re delivered to a local library.

This and other programs are far from perfect, however. MORE…

It’s likely the heat of summer is starting to play at a location near you! For many it means more outdoor grilling. Yes, it’s hot, but cooking outside keeps the heat out there, the kitchen cool and makes it easier to clean everything up.

There’s still plenty of ways to get your customers eating healthy. Fresh, crisp, cold, and “hot” are the operative words for foods of this season. Fruits and vegetables are at their best; cold soups are a great way to cool with taste. And “hot” — as in peppers, seasoning and spices — are a natural way to flavor chicken and other meats and everything from soup to dessert.

With the growing emphasis on reducing our intake of sodium, introducing foods with some heat is a healthy way to entertain the taste buds. So let’s look at some quick ways to introduce some summer heat to our outdoor sizzle:

• Cold soups are a natural. Gazpacho is a great fit since it can take advantage of summer tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, celery and peppers. Like salsa, make it mild or hot and alter the texture to your liking. Serve it chunky or blended for a smooth soup. Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt, a touch of cilantro or a dusting of cumin. MORE…

Trying to gauge the impact of a soda tax is quite a workout. All sorts of figures get tossed about — starting with the amount of the tax. How much will be enough to change purchase behavior? One study claims that we would need a 1,200% tax — an extra $9 on a 75-cent can — in order to dissuade a noticeable segment of the population.

Extreme? Probably. But a 20% tax is nothing to laugh at, either — and that’s the number increasingly being used in various scenarios and studies. Indeed, that’s the number the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture used in studying the question.

The ERS has a wealth of data to pull from. They have inside access to the federal bureaucracy and know where to search for arcane statistics or find studies that will help us figure out whether such a tax works.

For instance, it found that a survey done on food intake between 1999 through 2004 that concluded Americans consumed more than 22 additional teaspoons of sugar every day, with one half coming from soft drinks and juices.

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has gone on record stating that a tax on soda and snack foods could generate almost $15 billion in the first year alone. MORE…