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Healthy Supermarkets Latrobe – Reach for the Stars

Healthy eating is easy when you Reach for the Stars

What is Reach for the Stars?

Reach for the Stars is a community health promotion project that makes it easier for community members to find healthy foods in their local supermarket.

Developed by LCHS, in partnership with Latrobe Health Assembly in 2019-2022, participating supermarkets in the Latrobe Valley worked with the community to co-design and implement the Healthy Supermarkets Latrobe project – ‘Reach for the Stars’.

An eight-week trial of the project saw five local IGA supermarkets – Moe, Morwell, Glengarry, Rosedale and Stratford – use a range of in-store signage and marketing materials to highlight healthy food options to customers.

Based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines and the Health Star Rating system, the signage quickly and easily helped IGA customers to compare packaged foods, the more stars, the healthier.

Why are healthy options important?

Healthy eating is important day-to-day, for mood and energy levels, and long-term in decreasing the risk of chronic disease. We all need more fresh and healthy foods to be at our best every day.

Project results

The supermarket’s ‘health rating’ was evaluated using the Monash Store Scout app, with feedback collected through in-store customer surveys and from IGA team members, project staff and community members.

The project found that customers were able to understand and use the Health Star Rating system and it increased their overall ‘health rating’.  Their customers also felt the signage in-store influenced their purchases in a positive way.

“I noticed a positivity through the customers [as a result of them participating in ‘Healthy Supermarkets Latrobe project’]. Baskets are much more filled up with four or five stars, rather than three and a half stars, which is good. Full points go to customers,” said one of the IGA owners and operators. 

Results snapshot:

  • Nine in 10 (95%) customers want supermarkets to promote healthy eating.
  • 64% of customers noticed Reach for the Stars materials.
  • Two in five (38%) customers felt the signs influenced their purchases.
  • Overall ‘health rating’ of supermarkets increased by 14% as measured by the Monash Store Scout app.

Read more here

You can read more about Reach for the Stars, including project learnings, evaluation results and recommendations.

Want to get involved?

If you’re a supermarket owner who wants to be involved in this project in the future or a health promotion professional would like to roll this out in your region, please contact the LCHS Health Promotion team on 1800 242 696 or email health.promotion@lchs.com.au