Make healthier food choices with SPAR

Several SPAR Eastern Cape stores are now guiding customers towards healthier food choices by using special “Mighty-Chondria” labels under products on the shelves.

The ground-breaking programme started in SuperSPAR Waterfront more than a year ago and has been so successful that other stores are now taking the concept on board.

Simply put, a sticker shows the consumer which are healthier brands to buy as well as that some processed foods are not so bad after all.

SPAR retail operations manager Reshma Abraham, who deals with fresh foods, has found it useful when shopping for her family.

“It’s to give Mr or Mrs Shopper the information they need to make better choices and for me as a mom and someone who understands health, it works because it’s a simple way of communicating.”

“It is important to give customers options within the products that they are already buying.

“It’s not about intimidating with lots of information, and it doesn’t have to mean these products are more expensive, or are even necessarily ‘health’ foods.”

Known as the powerhouse of the cell, mitochondria is an integral part of the cells in our bodies which produce energy.

They work best when fed non-GMO, minimally processed, healthy fat foods, ultimately helping you to attain a healthy body.

So if you are buying a pasta sauce for dinner, for example, says Abraham, a Mitos sticker will show which products are less processed and have fewer, or zero, additives.

If there is a choice between a genetically modified product or another one, then the GMO free product will get the Mitos sticker.

SPAR food ambassador Khaya Kepe loves it now does her shopping based on the “mighty-chondria”.

“I know to use the items with stickers on them, it makes life so much easier, I just look for the orange stickers and I know it will give my body the right nutrition.”

The initiative started by Dr Margo de Kooker is growing.

SuperSPAR Waterfront piloted the project and the response has been so good that SPAR is now rolling it out at others, with SuperSPAR Village Square in St Francis Bay and SPAR Middelburg among them.

“We’ve been tracking for a year at Waterfront and have seen a growth in stores, there is a positive response to it,” Abraham says.

Look for the power-up mitochondria labels or the mitos stickers on the shelves to help you choose the best mito-friendly food.

De Kooker also gives popular “Shop With Doc” tours at selected stores.