While shopping at my local Raley’s store, I was greeted by an unfamiliar sight at the checkout lane: organic avocados, Dole bananas and SUNSET® tomatoes.
Though seeing fresh produce merchandised at the checkout was a first for me, it is definitely not new. In 2012, AndNowUKnow reported that MARTIN’s Food Markets was adding healthy ideas to the checkout, and last year we covered that Wegmans was promoting fresh-cut produce there as well.
Though this concept is a bit of a novelty to me, it is going full steam ahead in the United Kingdom. As we reported in August, Aldi is introducing “healthier tills” at all of its 500 UK locations in January 2015.
Instead of candy and chocolate, the retailer is going for options like dried and fresh fruit, nuts, juices and water, and Aldi isn’t the only one. In January of this year, Lidl banned confectionery from its 600 UK stores. In May, Tesco announced that it would be removing sweets and chocolates as well.
This move can open up a whole new channel for the industry, providing new merchandising options. AndNowUKnow surveyed our readers asking if they believe this trend of completely removing sweets from checkout aisles will make its way to the United States. 61.70% of respondents said yes, with only 23.40% saying no.
As more consumers focus on healthy eating and fresh produce, it will certainly be interesting to see if more retailers kick the candy out and move the fruits and veggies to the checkout lane. Plus, with the holiday season upon us, it makes sense for fresh produce to be the last thing consumers see. After all, save the best for last, right?
