Health & Wellness Conference focuses on whole-store approach

The 2011 Health & Wellness Conference taking place April 3 to April 5 at the Omni Resort at ChampionsGate in Orlando, Fla., will give supermarket executives opportunities to collaborate with suppliers and service providers on ways to meet the wellness needs of consumers.

"Supermarkets are best positioned to merge the power of food and pharmacy," said Cathy Polley, vice president of health and wellness at the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the conference's developer. "A whole-store approach is truly what it takes to provide customers with the products and information they need.  This conference is a perfect opportunity for retailers to meet with suppliers and service providers and discover new ways to integrate health and wellness throughout the store."

Highlights of the conference will include the following:

• David Katz, MD, an internationally renowned authority on nutrition, weight management, and prevention of chronic diseases, will share his perspective on the significance of food on health.

• Updates on the latest efforts by federal and local governments, schools, and consumer health advocates to reduce obesity and promote healthy eating habits will be presented by Susan Pitman, MA, RD, Partner, FoodMinds, LLC, and Susan Borra, RD, Senior Vice President, Communications, FMI.

• New ways to position supermarket health offerings to attract female shoppers and drive incremental sales will be presented by The Pink Tank president and founder, Marcee Nelson, and senior vice president Gretchen Goffe.

• A panel will discuss how healthcare partnerships can successfully integrate pharmacy performance reporting and interventions to improve medication adherence for health plan participants.

• Bob Arnot, MD, Chief Medical Officer for NBC News, will discuss the changing shape of healthcare and how fixing the system will change American healthcare outcomes for the better.

For further conference information and to register, visit:  http://www.fmi.org/forms/meeting/MeetingFormPublic/view?id=699A400000054.