CGF Healthier Lives Coalition Launches a Health & Wellness Pilot Programme in Chicago Co-led by Walmart and PepsiCo

PARIS and CHICAGO, July 13, 2022 /3BL Media/ -The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Collaboration for Healthier Lives (CHL) Coalition have launched a pilot project in Chicago to empower consumers and vulnerable communities in the city to make healthier choices. The project, part of the regional CHL USA initiative co-lead by Walmart and PepsiCo, brings together eleven CGF members who are collaborating to test and scale a healthier lives programme in the community, in Walmart stores and online for several months starting June 2022.

Co-chairs of CHL USA, Staci Cochran and Maggie Biscarr are leading the pilot programme with the objective of nudging consumers towards healthier habits. To achieve this, CGF members - Bel Brands USA, Danone, General Mills, GSK Consumer Healthcare, ITO EN, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., McCormick, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company and Unilever are supporting and amplifying Walmart’s efforts to provide health and wellness products and services to their customers through in-store-demos, a fruit and vegetable incentive programme, and community outreach. This work is supported by management consultant Oliver Wyman.

Taking a holistic approach to wellness – all communication and products featured in-stores will promote healthier eating patterns and personal care habits, such as sun protection, oral health, pain management, and maternal health.

“Together we are testing and learning, leveraging the scale and reach of our companies and Walmart’s presence in local communities to support consumers on their health journey. Our key objectives are to remove barriers and find the right incentives to make the better choice the easier choice for time- and resource-strapped shoppers, improve health-related behaviours, and drive shared value among CHL participants,” said Maggie Biscarr, Director for Global Partnership Solutions, PepsiCo & Co-Chair CHL USA.

Community health is at the heart of this initiative. Chicago was chosen as the launching pad for this initiative as, despite a diverse population, it has been recognised as one of the most segregated cities in the US. There are stark inequities in access to hospitals and life expectancy, depending on demographic factors like race and neighbourhood. This correlates strongly with health disparities across demographic groups. As consumer goods companies, we seek to have a positive impact on these disparities through collaboration with each other and local community groups.

“Walmart has committed to partner with local organisations to support community-based efforts in Chicago and already has a significant presence in the market, including 10 stores, the national Walmart Wellness Hub, live on Walmart.com, providing 24/7 access to wellness resources and two Walmart Health Centers located conveniently next to where people do their shopping,” said Staci Cochran, Senior Director, Health & Wellness New Business Development, Walmart & Global Co-Chair CHL.

Since the beginning, the CGF’s Collaboration for Healthier Lives Coalition has centred its work around ensuring access and affordability of healthier options and transparent information that empowers consumers to lead a healthier and more sustainable life.

CHL has always been about addressing global issues with local solutions, taking into account the health needs of the communities. “Our goal is to shape global thematic issues but take it local and make it action-relevant. Local activations, in-stores and through digital communications, is essential to change consumer behaviours and is crucial in doing business. The latest CHL USA pilot also builds on earlier work done in Hagerstown in 2017 and is supported by Oliver Wyman, who has helped us to oversee all the moving parts,” said Sharon Bligh, Healthier Lives Director, The Consumer Goods Forum.

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About Collaboration for Healthier Lives Coalition

The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF)’s CEO-led Coalition of Action on Collaboration for Healthier Lives (CHL) is about making it easier for people around the world to adopt healthier lives for themselves and their families. It’s about making healthier decisions easier and habitual for people in every community around the world. CHL is a global movement led by manufacturers, retailers, public health authorities and local communities, delivering local movements in communities worldwide. CHL initiatives running across 9 countries and involving over 160 organisations. As a collective, members of the CGF, and their partners, are exploring, experimenting, innovating, and evolving business models to support positive change, while sharing data and knowledge at scale, cross industry. Health is not a competitive advantage; it’s a basic necessity. And it’s clear no company can solve this issue alone. Collaboration is needed at scale and across sectors if the consumer goods industry is to play the necessary role in the health and wellbeing of people. To learn more, visit www.tcgfhealthierlives.com.

About The Consumer Goods Forum

The Consumer Goods Forum (“CGF”) is a global, parity-based industry network that is driven by its members to encourage the global adoption of practices and standards that serves the consumer goods industry worldwide. It brings together the CEOs and senior management of some 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and other stakeholders across 70 countries, and it reflects the diversity of the industry in geography, size, product category and format. Its member companies have combined sales of EUR 4.6 trillion and directly employ nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain. It is governed by its Board of Directors, which comprises more than 55 manufacturer and retailer CEOs. For more information, please visit: www.theconsumergoodsforum.com

For more information, contact:

Sharon Bligh
Healthier Lives Director
The Consumer Goods Forum
hw@theconsumergoodsforum.com

Lee Green
Communications Director
The Consumer Goods Forum
l.green@theconsumergoodsforum.com