(July 23, 2021) Today, the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA (FDA Foundation) and the Retail Dietitians Business Alliance (RDBA) jointly launched Supporting Healthier Eating in the New Normal: The Ultimate Retail Dietitians Toolkit. The toolkit provides retail dietitians with easy-to-share, science-based information for consumers who want to adopt healthier lifestyles.

The pandemic inspired many Americans to prioritize their health and rethink some of their habits to improve general wellbeing and better manage nutrition-based chronic disease. Even as record numbers are vaccinated and communities begin to open back up, many report they plan to continue healthier behaviors, including changes to their eating habits.

“The timing is right for this new resource,” said Susan C. Winckler, RPh, Esq., CEO of the FDA Foundation. “Our research around COVID-19 health messengers showed that consumers have high trust in their local health professionals. We’re excited to partner with RDBA to support retail dietitians in their critical outreach to consumers and communities.”

“Now more than ever shoppers are asking questions about how the foods they consume can not only promote good health, but can also help prevent or manage chronic disease,” added Phil Lempert, RDBA president and CEO. “Through this partnership with the FDA Foundation, we are putting turnkey resources at the fingertips of the Retail RDs who are on the frontlines in stores across the country.”

The Ultimate Retail Dietitians Toolkit provides social media templates, fact sheets, interactive quizzes, recipes, virtual tour ideas, and other educational resources. Built in part around the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new Nutrition Facts label, information in the kit also incorporates the latest science from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 (U.S. Department of Agriculture), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institutes of Health as well as other healthcare and research institutions.

Supporting Healthier Eating in the New Normal: The Ultimate Retail Dietitians Toolkit is available free of charge to all registered dietitians on the RDBA website.

About RDBA

The Retail Dietitians Business Alliance (RDBA) serves as the professional group to almost 1,000 retail dietitians throughout the US and Canada that work for or consult to supermarket chains helping customers and employees with food, culinary, and nutrition issues. The organization’s mission is to foster the continuing business education and career development of current and future retail dietitians.