Kwik Trip Talks Healthy Options

Wisconsin-based convenience store chain is leading efforts to bring customers more healthy choices.

April 04, 2016

LA CROSSE, Wisc. – Kwik Trip Inc. is known throughout the community for exceptional customer service, friendly staff and of course convenience store staples, such as food, snacks, drinks and fuel. The stores are also known for offering healthy options.

The La Crosse Tribune reports that Kwik Trip recently recommitted to the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) to provide increased access to healthier foods across its 400 convenience stores and other outlets in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. By June 2017, Kwik Trip will offer an expanded stock of healthier options, including healthier packaged foods like nuts and granola bars throughout the store, and will increase healthier options in the checkout area. In addition, Kwik Trip will continue to encourage more consumers to drink water more often through its support of PHA’s Drink Up initiative.

These efforts are being noticed: “If you live in southeast Minnesota, chances are you’ve stopped at a Kwik Trip for a quick fill-up and a snack on your way to work. But it’s equally likely you’ve dashed in for some milk and eggs, and grabbed a banana while you were at it. Those foods aren’t placed in Kwik Trips by mistake,” writes the news source.

Erica Flint, a registered dietitian in food research and development at Kwik Trip, explains in an interview how the convenience retailer brings healthier choices to stores. To lower the sodium content of a sandwich meant to be a healthier offering, Kwik Trip went back to the manufacturer to see what could be done. A tasting panel actually preferred the lower-sodium version over the original, “so instead of just reworking it for [Kwik Trip], they ended up rolling it out for their entire offering, and just got rid of the old one. So it was really a cool thing, and it was able to impact people beyond just our customer base,” she explained.

Recognizing that convenience stores are not health food stores, Flint said that Kwik Trip is striking a balance among its customers. “Nobody wants to be told how to live their life. Nobody wants us to tell them what the right thing to eat is. I’m a dietitian, but I still like to eat a candy bar every now and again. On certain days, I’ve earned that. So it’s just about having different offerings, just trying to have a nice balance.”

Flint shared that an initiative to bring fresh meat cases into Kwik Trip stores has been “super big” because customers can stop at a c-store for more than just snacks. “You can make a truly balanced meal for your family and it’s still relatively affordable. So that was big, especially since we serve a lot of communities that are more rural.”

Kwik Trip is planning to bring more healthy offerings to its stores. “It’s really the whole company—the philosophy of this place, and the ownership, that we want to do right for our communities and our guests,” Flint said.

“With more consumers expecting to find fresh and healthy items on the go, the convenience store industry is in the midst of a momentous shift, one that Kwik Trip has been leading for several years now,” said PHA CEO Lawrence A. Soler, in a February press release recognizing Kwik Trip’s commitment. “Just a few years ago it was unusual to see fresh fruit in many convenience stores, but today, Kwik Trip sells 400 pounds of bananas per store per day. In fact, after making a commitment to PHA, Kwik Trip’s bulk produce sales grew 5.5% in 2015.”

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