• Austin American-Statesman, Monday, February 1, 2010 10:41 AM

Whole Foods Market is unveiling a new outreach program called "Health Starts Here" in its flagship store in downtown Austin, Texas, that includes displays directing shoppers to the foods on an aisle with the highest nutritional value, Brian Gaar reports. Stores also will offer cooking demonstrations, classes and community health fairs, and encourage employees to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Healthy-eating specialists who offer shoppers advice about their diets will be one of the most visible aspects of the program. The goal, says one such specialist, Mary Olivar, is to empower people. She sees her job as a "demystifier of food," talking with customers about her own strategies, such as how she gets her kids to eat more vegetables.

The program represents a rededication to what Whole Foods' officials see as their fundamental mission and it has added an item to its list of corporate core values: "Promoting the health of our stakeholders through healthy-eating education." Says Margaret Wittenberg, the global vp of quality standards who led the team that developed the company's approach to balanced eating: "This is a permanent fixture."

Read the whole story at Austin American-Statesman »