Tag Archives: walmart

Nutrisystem 5-Day Jumpstart Kits Now Available at Walmart

Nutrisystem has just announced the availability of their 5-Day Jumpstart Your Weight Loss Kits in more than 2,000 Walmart locations.

The kit contains 15 entrees, five desserts, a meal planner, and access to free weight loss counseling for just $44.98. All of the food is low on the glycemic index, and contains a balanced proportion of quality carbs, good fats, and proteins. For instance, the Jumpstart Kit begins your week with granola cereal for breakfast, red beans and rice for lunch, lasagna with meat sauce for dinner, and a chocolatey nougat bar with peanuts and caramel for dessert. Not bad.

nutrisystem 5 day kit

In addition to the new Jumpstart Kit, Nutrisystem is also rolling out another 5-Day Kit for their specifically designed diabetic diet, Nutrisystem D. The kit is geared toward the sensitive dietary needs of diabetes sufferers attempting to lose weight.

Nutrisystem—traditionally a meal delivery system available for order over the phone or web—widened its retail scope when they began offering their products at Costco stores in 2024. The typical Nutrisystem program is 28 days long, and the new 5-Day Jumpstart Kit is designed to ease dieters in with a simple and easy plan. (more…)

Nutritionist Joy Bauer Debuts “Joy’s Healthy Bite” on TODAY

America’s favorite nutritionist Joy Bauer, earned a little more air time this week. The star debuted a new segment on the TODAY Show this morning called “Joy’s Healthy Bite,” in which she covers the latest buzz in the health world including food trends, research findings and celebrity diets. 

We tuned in for today’s segment where Joy touted the health benefits of two of her favorite foods: Greek yogurt and avocados.

Joy reported that last week, the American Heart Association presented a study that showed people who regularly eat yogurt even just two to three times per week, are able to significantly reduce their risk for getting high blood pressure.

Not just any yogurt does the trick, Joy warns. Don’t pick yogurts that are high in fat and sugar. Instead look for those that are non- or low-fat, and then add your own sweeteners – about 1 teaspoon of sugar or honey – and a little fruit if you prefer. If you’re partial to buying flavors, Joy recommends checking the label to make sure there’s no more than 20 grams of sugar per serving.  (more…)

Smokers and Obese Workers Must Pay More for Health Coverage

By Kelsey Murray

If you are a smoker, overweight, or have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, you may end up paying more for health care as many employers are following a new trend: penalizing those employees who have unhealthy lifestyles instead of rewarding those who have healthy lifestyles.

In the past two years, the percent of American employers who impose some sort of financial penalty on their employees has doubled, making it now 19 percent. This number should double again in 2024, according to Towers Watson, a benefits consultant company.

So why are these people being penalized for their lifestyle choices? It is common knowledge that those who smoke or are obese usually have higher health risks, which in turn leads to increased health care costs. As a result, some companies are now requiring these employees to pay more for their health coverage because it makes sense that these people will end up costing the company more in health care coverage. (more…)

What ‘Local’ Really Means to Your Grocery Store

green apples, red apples and orangesThis winter, Wal-Mart announced their plans to bring more local produce to their stores across the United States. The announcement is perhaps one of the most visible indications that the local foods movement has hit the mainstream, as it gains followers for both economic and environmental reasons. Yet it is necessary to approach such an announcement with a dose of skepticism when it comes from a company that seems to be driven so heavily by the bottom line.

Some have criticized Wal-Mart’s new policy to promote local food as little more than a marketing ploy, and have accused the company of re-labeling products they already procure locally. However, in a recent Wall Street Journal article, Wal-Mart says that the consumer demand for local produce is aligned with cost-savings objectives. Wal-Mart, like many other national chains, says that they can save money on transportation by purchasing food near to its point of sale and also cut down on waste due to food spoilage. In a press release, the company announced that they hope to source up to nine percent of all produce locally.

Many grocery stores also spotlight their local produce, although the definition of “local” is depends on the store. Here is a look at how some of the major grocery chains defined local produce.
(more…)

South Park Creators Bring Cheesy Poofs to Walmart

Matt Stone and Trey Parker have created some of the most cutting edge satire and cultural lampooning in TV history. Are they setting themselves up to be goofed on themselves? The creators of South Park have struck up a deal with Frito-Lay to manufacture 1.5 million packages of their famous Cheesy Poofs, Cartman’s favorite junk food snack. It’s set to appear in Walmart in August.

For a couple of guys who do such a good job of poking fun at just about everything in our society, it’s hard to imagine they don’t see the irony in contributing to one of the biggest plights in modern history: childhood obesity. Usually you would think they would be on the side of goofing on our society’s dietary problems and addictions to processed foods, however distasteful or offensive they may be. (more…)

Major Grocery Stores Commit to Bringing Healthy and Affordable Produce to “Food Deserts”

Michelle Obama annouces expantion of grocery retailers in impoverished areasFirst lady Michelle Obama and the Partnership for a Healthier America announced yesterday that they are working with a number of major grocery retailers to bring affordable, healthy food to areas that desperately need them. “Make no mistake about it, this is a big deal,” said Obama during yesterday’s press conference. The partnering companies have agreed to open or expand over 1,500 stores combined, according to PR Newswire.

Stores participating in the initiative include Walmart, Walgreens, Brown’s Super Stores, Calhoun Enterprises, Klein’s Family Markets and Supervalu. Walmart has been an early supporter of Obama’s initiative to fight childhood obesity. Earlier this year, they announced plans to reduce the sugar and sodium content of their in-house brands and is now committing to building or expanding 300 stores. Additionally, the California Endowment has pledged to give $200 million through the FreshWorks Fund for new, independent retail channels and food distribution programs in California.

According to Partnership for a Healthier America, these efforts will provide nearly 10 million Americans with the ability to buy fresh produce close to their homes. An estimated 23.5 million Americans currently live in low-income “food deserts” where there are no stores likely to sell nutritious foods at a reasonable cost. Michelle Obama has explained that getting businesses to take this kind of active role is key to the success of programs like Let Move!

(more…)

Michelle Obama Praises Walmart for Offering Healthier Food

Michelle ObamaIt’s rare to see a first lady endorse a superstore chain, but Wal-Mart’s new initiative to offer low-cost healthier foods is in line with Michelle Obama’s anti-childhood obesity campaign. “When I see a company like Wal-Mart launch an initiative like this, I feel more hopeful than ever before,” said Ms. Obama at the announcement, calling it a “a huge victory for folks all across this country.” Wal-Mart unveiled the healthy food initiative at THEARC, a Southeast Washington community center that offers a nutritious food program. The company also announced plans to open their first stores in the D.C. area.

“No family should have to choose between food that is healthier for them and food they can afford,” Bill Simon, president and chief executive of Walmart U.S., said in a statement posted on the company’s Web site. “With more than 140 million customers each week, Walmart is uniquely positioned to make a difference by making food healthier and more affordable to everyone.”

(more…)

Frozen Vegetable Recall Due to Glass Fragments Affects Kroger and Wal-Mart Store Brands

In more food recall news, this time frozen vegetables are being pulled from shelves and consumers are warned to review the items in their homes to return for refund. The voluntary recall by Pictsweet Co., reports CNN.com, was not prompted by any injury reports, only a preventative step. These frozen vegetables may have glass fragments in the packages.

Important Recall Details:

  • Store-brand frozen vegetables: Kroger brand and Great Value brand
  • Frozen vegetables sold in Kroger and Wal-Mart stores nationwide
  • May contain glass fragments
  • Return recalled packages to retailer for full refund

Recalled Products:

  • Kroger 12-ounce Green Peas (UPC 11110 89736). Production Codes of 1440BU, 1440BV, 1440BW, and 1600BD.
  • Kroger 12-ounce Peas and Carrots (UPC 11110 89741). Production Codes of 1960BD and 1960BE.
  • Great Value 12-ounce Steamable Sweet Peas (UPC 78742 08369). Best by dates of July 20, 2024; July 21, 2024.
  • Great Value 12-ounce Steamable Mixed Vegetables (UPC 78742 08026). Best by date of July 15, 2024. (more…)

Walmart to Sell More Local Produce

Wal-Mart recently announced that it will be taking steps towards sourcing more of its produce locally. Eating locally is one of the best things you can do to protect the environment, by cutting down on the amount of fossil fuels that are consumed in the process of shipping, and the pollution created by emissions.

While the superstore’s measures are certainly modest, they do bring the issue of local eating to mainstream attention in a big way. Wal-Mart is the world’s largest grocer, so the decision to source nine percent of the produce it sells in the U.S. can have a major impact. Not only will it give more shoppers the opportunity to buy local, it will give small farmers a chance at more revenue and reduce food-waste and spoilage. In Canada, Wal-Mart intends to make as much as 30 percent of the produce sold local. “Our food business in Canada is brand new, so there’s a lot they can do,” said Wal-Mart’s vice president of sustainability Andrea Thomas, reports The New York Times.

(more…)

Walmart is Recalling 91,872 Pounds of Contaminated Chicken Nuggets

It was announced today that Walmart is recalling 91,872 pounds of their “Great Value” brand chicken nuggets, produced by Perdue Farms. They said the nuggets “could have been contaminated because a small blue plastic ring got into the raw material before the nuggets were formed,” according to CNN.com.

There are more than 50,000 affected packages of nuggets, and have a “best if used by date” of June 9, 2024. Numbers on the packages are 89008A, 0160 and P-33944.

Perdue is accepting the recalled product for a full refund. No other chicken products are affected.

Anyone who watched Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution this past spring should feel like every chicken nugget under the sun should be recalled. We’re a little ill remembering Jamie’s graphic demonstration of how they’re made. (Chicken carcass, blender, fried in oil…) We’ve vowed to never eat them again. (more…)

Walmart to Donate 1.1 Billion Pounds of Food

Walmart recently announced a plan to ramp up their donations over the next five years to food banks across the country, which will total $2 billion dollars. This more than doubles their current donation amount, which comes at a good time when the number of Americans needing assistance is on the rise.

The plan as it has been outlined will consist of splitting up the funds that are utilized to purchase refrigerated trucks used to help keep meat and produce last longer as they are transported from Walmart stores to the various charities.

(more…)