ShopRite launches health and wellness effort for kids

KEASBEY, N.J. – ShopRite is giving kids a new reason to be excited about eating healthy: a free fruit giveaway.

The supermarket chain announced that it has launched a “free fruit” program at 29 ShopRite Supermarket stores in Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. As part of the program, kids 12 and under will receive a free banana or clementine while shopping with a parent or guardian. The fruits will be located in the produce aisle, and the program will be overseen by each store’s individual in-store dietitian.

“We know that childhood obesity is a big concern in our communities and we want to do our part to encourage healthy choices and healthy snacking,” said Ali Sumas, owner of Village ShopRite.

The program, which was rolled out at all Village-owned ShopRite Supermarket stores earlier this month, was piloted initially at select locations.

“The response to our pilot program was phenomenal and inspired us to launch this program across all of our stores,” Sumas said. “Parents appreciate that teaching children to develop good eating habits at an early age is extremely important. We’re happy to provide our customers with an easy way to show their children that fruits can be fun and delicious.”

The free fruit program is part of ShopRite’s ongoing commitment to providing health and wellness offerings to its customers, which include an extensive line of natural and organic product offerings throughout the store, and (in most locations), dedicated in-store registered dietitians who are on hand to assist customers at no cost.

The free fruit program is available at ShopRite stores owned and operated by Village Supermarkets, Inc., including in Maryland: Silver Spring and Timonium; in New Jersey: Absecon, Bernardsville, Cedar Knolls, Chatham, Chester, East Orange, Elizabeth, Egg Harbor Township, Galloway, Garwood, Hammonton, Hillsborough, Livingston, Marmora, Millburn, Old Bridge, Rio Grande, Somers Point, Somerset, Springfield, Stirling, Union, Vineland, Washington, Watchung and West Orange; and in Pennsylvania: Stroudsburg.