We want to take the lead and support our customers by making healthier eating easier

Customers increasingly care about their health

Our customers tell us that health is important and want us to make healthier eating easier for them and their families. We are committed to helping our customers do more of the healthy things they're already doing and supporting our customers to make healthier choices no matter where they are on their health journey. 

What are we doing to support our customers?

Inspiring healthy choices for a better future

Woolworths is determined to help kids eat healthier with our Fresh Food Kids program. Our ambition is to make it fun and easy for kids to eat fruit and vegetables by empowering them with educational and hands-on activities. That’s why we:

• offer Free Fruit for Kids in all Woolworths supermarkets across Australia - approximately 32 million pieces of fruit are donated each year. 
• launched Fresh Food Kids Discovery Tours nationwide. Children from primary school and early learning centres are invited to come to our stores to learn, touch and taste an array of fruit and vegetables. Currently, more than 200,000 students across the nation have already registered to go on the journey since July.
• established partnerships with a range of organisations that align with Woolworths' philosophy of improving nutrition and physical activity amongst children including Life Education, Cricket Australia and Netball Australia

Reducing prices on healthier products

We have dropped the price on over 1,000 ‘healthier for you’ foods over the last few years. Some of the new healthier for you products added to the prices dropped program this year include core foods or foods with 4 or more Health Stars. 
Woolworths defines items as ‘healthier’ based on whether it's a core food as laid out by the Australian Dietary Guidelines or has a health star rating of 4 or above.

Imperfect Produce

Having access to affordable fresh fruit and vegetables is a priority for our customers. Our Woolworths Odd Bunch range of imperfect fruit and vegetables not only helps customers save money, it also helps minimise food waste. This has been a highly successful program, and Woolworths has sold over 100 million kilos of the Odd Bunch range - a testament to the support of customers looking for affordable, but funky looking fruit and vegetables. 

Signposting healthier options

To help our customers find healthier choices in store we have:

• 100% of eligible Woolworths food range display the Health Star Rating on the front of the pack (over 2,200 products) in Australia, and 99% in New Zealand.
• Raised awareness of the Health Star Rating in the catalogue, on shopping baskets and on our supermarket website. 
• Developed new store formats with a focus on fresh and healthy food by increasing space in renewed stores for fresh fruit and vegetables and more shelf space has been allocated to dedicated health aisles.
• Woolworths shopping website now displays nutrition information and the health star rating where applicable
• Woolworths Fresh Market Update was reintroduced to educate customers about new, affordable and in-season produce

Improving the nutrition of Woolworths Food Range

We are committed to providing clear and transparent labelling, not using additives our customers have asked us to remove, and improving the nutritional profile of products to make healthier choices easier. All Woolworths food range now have no artificial colours and flavours or added MSG.

Stakeholder engagement 

Woolworths is part of the Government’s Healthy Food Partnership Executive Committee, which aims to improve the dietary habits of Australians. 

In 2017 we hosted our first stakeholder day in Australia and New Zealand with over 100 like-minded partners from industry, NGOs and government. We shared our approach to helping customers shop healthier and to start a conversation on how we can collaborate on initiatives to make healthier eating easier.

Pictured above left to right: Alex Holt, General Manager Quality, Sustainability and Health, Stevie Wring, Head of Health and Nutrition, Amanda Bardwell, Managing Director WooliesX, Brad Banducci, CEO and Managing Director,  Woolworths Group, Andrew Hicks, Director of Marketing, Woolworths Food Group and Supermarkets 

Growing a good food team culture

We now employ five accredited nutritionists across Australia and New Zealand to implement our health guidelines and commitments. To embed our health strategy in 2018 Australia established a cross-functional health working group supported by our Executive Committee with representatives from buying, marketing, strategy and nutrition.

Australia's healthiest Own Brands

In April 2019, the George Institute for Global health found that Woolworths' Own Brands were the healthiest of any major Australian supermarket base on the mean Health Star Ratings compared to Coles, Aldi and IGA.  

We are determined to lead the way when it comes to helping our customers make healthier choices, with these initiatives representing the start of our journey in this area.