Presented by Lisa Harnack, DrPH, RD

Professor and Director, Nutrition Coordinating Center
Division of Epidemiology & Community Health
University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Today the majority of grocery shopping takes place in brick and mortar stores. But, this pattern of shopping is expected to shift markedly toward purchasing groceries online. Online grocery shopping presents a unique opportunity to support those striving to eat healthier. Unlike brick and mortar grocery stores that face physical and logistical constraints with regard to meeting the specific needs of shoppers aiming to make healthy food choices, online grocery store can be tailored to address individual consumer health needs. For example, an online grocery store could allow customers to opt-in to a shopping experience that limits the display and advertising of less healthful foods, or highlights foods that meet individual nutrition goals (e.g. lower sodium foods highlighted in food search results for shopper aiming to limit their sodium intake).

In this seminar, findings from a study carried out to identify ways in which online grocery marketplaces may be designed to support those who are trying to eat healthy for weight loss will be presented. A Design Thinking based approach was applied in identifying promising strategies, and its use will be illustrated in presenting study findings. The extent to which leading national and regional online grocery shopping marketplaces (e.g. Walmart, AmazonFresh, HyVee Aisles, etc.) currently include nutrition-related features (e.g. Nutrition Facts panel information, search filters by nutrient content of food, etc.) will also be described.

All faculty, staff, and students welcome!