I’ve been a Meijer customer for eleven years and truly appreciate the MANY wonderful things Meijer does for its communities, but there is a much-needed change towards healthier checkouts at Meijer! Meijer founders Hendrik and Fred Meijer said it best, “Take care of your customers, team members and community … and all of them will take care of you, just like a family.” I’m asking Meijer to put customer health first by removing junk food from its checkout aisles in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. 

We’ve all stood in the checkout aisle - tired, hungry and faced with a wall of candy, soda and chips. Retailers know we spend a lot of time at checkout and they are counting on us to buy impulsively. (See report by Center for Science in the Public Interest.) With high national rates of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases due to poor nutrition, why are unhealthy foods being so strongly promoted at checkout? Meijer should adopt healthy checkout aisles to support and promote the health of its customers and communities.

As a mother, I'm also concerned that checkout aisles are flooded with tabloids and magazines obsessed with body image, gossip, adult-themed topics, and the objectification of girls and women – all placed directly at the eye level of children. Replacing such magazines and tabloids with educational, age-appropriate children’s books/magazines would provide children with something enjoyable to read, it would create an environment in which all people are valued, and most importantly it would be 100% in line with Meijer’s core values - “We believe in treating each other with dignity and respect. We are committed to strengthening the communities we serve.” 

Most products placed in checkout aisles are the result of vendor bidding and placement fees. (See report by CSPI.) I'm asking Meijer to merchandise checkout with healthier products such as organic fruits, vegetables, snacks (including whole-grain, gluten-free and nut-free), and healthy beverages, as well as reading material for children. Grocers around the country have already done so. Aldi has committed to Healthy Checklanes in all their stores by the end of 2017! Meijer should set a similar example and stand behind its core values - "We create a safe shopping experience for our customers and offer products and services to help our customers lead healthier lives."

Please join me in asking Meijer to put customer health first by replacing junk food with healthier food and non-food options in the checkout aisles at each of its stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.

If you think that some but not all aisles should be healthy, please state this preference and any other suggestions for healthy aisles in your comments when signing.

Respectfully,

Jane Kramer

FB page- https://www.facebook.com/healthycheckouts/