STEW LEONARD’S
LAUNCHES NUTRITION STORE TOURS FOR KINDERGARTENERS AND FIRST GRADERS |
| NORWALK, Conn., March 18, 2003
– In honor of March National Nutrition Month, Stew Leonard’s
is kicking off an ongoing nutrition supermarket tour program for children
ages five and six. The goal of the store tour is to provide a fun, interactive
and hands-on approach to teaching children about the food groups in the
USDA’s Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children. |
| “With the incidence of childhood obesity
rising, it is more important than ever to teach children at an early age
the basic nutrition principles of balance, variety and moderation, but in
a fun and engaging way,” said Meghan Flynn, vice president of public
relations for Stew Leonard’s and a registered dietitian. “Stew
Leonard’s is an ideal environment for learning about food and nutrition,
because many of our products are made on the premises, so children can see
first-hand how the food is made. Also, our in-store dairy plant, costumed
characters and animatronics throughout the store keep the children engaged
as they go through the store.” |
| The first nutrition tour will be given Wednesday,
March 19 at 10:00 A.M. in the Norwalk store to a group of 12 kindergarteners
enrolled at the Learning Community Day School in Westport. |
| “The concept of interactive learning
through hands-on experience is a developmentally appropriate way to research
new ideas with children. This nutrition tour is a great way to reinforce
what the children are learning about food in class,” said Sandy Weihing,
director of the Learning Community Day School. “I know the class and
their teachers, Elena Field and Christian Mirowski, are excited to be the
first ‘official’ group to participate in the tour.” |
| The free tours will initially be introduced
in the Stew Leonard’s Norwalk
store, and will be rolled out in the Danbury
and Yonkers store in the coming
month. Teachers can call the customer service desk at each store to schedule
a tour for their class. The tours will be available on Monday, Tuesday or
Wednesday at 10:00 and last approximately one hour. |
| On the tour, children will receive healthy
snack samples, as well as a copy of the Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children.
A take-home activity book that contains games and puzzles to reinforce what
children learned on the tour is also included. |
| Unlike traditional grocery stores that sell
an average 30,000 items, each Stew Leonard’s store carries only 2,000
items, chosen specifically for their freshness, quality and value. |
| Among the store’s
unique features that distinguishes it from typical supermarkets: an in-store
dairy plant where milk is packaged in front of customers; costumed characters
and animatronics throughout the store; one continuous aisle that
winds through the store; and 80 percent of the products sold are fresh –
that is, brought in daily or prepared directly in-store. The company’s
culture is built around an acronym for S.T.E.W.: Satisfy the customer; work
together as a Team; strive for Excellence in everything you do; and get
the customer to say WOW. |
