What can you do with a nutrition degree? The sky is the limit! As the world of nutrition continues to expand, so do the opportunities for registered dietitians.

One emerging field that is gaining popularity is supermarket dietitians or that of a retail dietitian. This unique role combines the expertise of an in-store dietitian with the fast-paced environment of retail stores.

But what exactly is a retail dietitian? In this article, you'll learn what a retail dietitian is, what a day in their work life might include as well as resources to get started.

We'll also include quotes, tips, and tricks from our fellow registered dietitians who are working in this field as grocery store dietitians.

First up: let’s explain what supermarket retail dietitians do.

What is a Retail Dietitian?

A retail dietitian is a registered dietitian who works in a retail setting, such as a grocery store or supermarket. A retail dietitian may fall into two main categories: working in a local store or working in a corporate setting.

Their main role is to provide nutrition education and guidance to customers through various mediums, such as cooking demonstrations, workshops, and one-on-one consultations. They also work closely with the store's marketing team to promote healthy food choices and create nutrition-focused events.

A Day in the Life of a Retail Dietitian

A typical day for a retail dietitian may vary depending on their specific job responsibilities and the store they work in. However, here are some common tasks and retail dietitian services that might be included in their daily routine:

• Meeting with retail customers to provide personalized nutrition advice, nutrition counseling, nutrition services, and answer questions about products or food allergies.
• Community outreach - starting community-supported agriculture (CSA), health fairs
• Planning and leading nutrition-focused events, such as cooking classes, store tours, online shopping, recipe development, virtual cooking classes, heart health programs, wellness programs, or healthy eating workshops.
• Collaborating with the store's marketing team to create promotional materials and campaigns related to nutrition for healthy recipes, highlighting healthy options, or for healthier products.
• Staying up-to-date on the latest nutrition research and trends in the industry.
• Networking and building relationships with other health professionals in the community.

“That's the best part, there is no typical day! I might be doing an in-store demo to promote a new product, out in the community doing a class, presentation, or event, or in my office doing in-person or virtual counseling. I can tailor my hours to my events, and enjoy the independence to decide which partnerships and programs work for me. Each day is different, so I'm always working on new skills and getting to meet new people.” - Caitlin Rulli, RDN, CDN, Retail Dietitian at ShopRite.

Who is a good fit for this role?

While a retail dietitian is part of a larger corporate team, they often have a lot of freedom in their role. That’s why our fellow retail dietitian Anne recommends that you “have an entrepreneurial mindset and spirit. It is very important to be someone who works well independently, loves to take on new challenges, and is willing/able to collaborate across all different areas of dietetics AND retail.” Anne Cundiff, RD, LD, FAND, Corporate Hy-Vee Dietitian.

Grocery stores that hire retail dietitians

There are several small and large supermarket chains and independent grocery stores that work with retail dietitians or hire them as an employee.

You can research their company websites for jobs or follow them on LinkedIn for networking and keeping up to date with their company mission.

Here's a partial, but growing, list:

• Albertsons
• Balls Food Stores
• Bashas
• Kroger
• Giant Eagle
• Giant Food
• Hen House Markets
• H-E-B
• Hy-Vee
• Meijer
• Natural Grocers
• NuVal
• PCC Natural Markets
• Price Choppers
• Publix
• Safeway
• ShopRite
• Sprouts Farmers Market
• Wakefern Food Corp.
• Wegmans Food Markets
• Weis Markets
• Whole Foods Market

How grocery stores benefit from the services of a retail dietitian

If you are pitching your services to a grocery store, here are some benefits you can speak to and the value you can provide:

• Added value to the store customers - dietitians can provide individual counseling, grocery store tours, online programs, product recommendations, webinars, and so much more.
• Community outreach and strengthened relationships - dietitians can provide community nutrition education and counseling, social media marketing, and can introduce customers to specific products at the grocery or convenience store that would be best for them to consider purchasing.
• Return on investment - stores with retail dietitians can help boost basket size, higher brand loyalty and recognition, contributing to repeat visits, boosted marketing for food brand awareness and promotion campaigns, improved workplace culture.

Recommended resources for a retail dietitian

If the role of a retail dietitian piques your interest, here are some resources to help you get started:

• The Association of Retail and Consumer Professionals (formerly known as the Retail Dietitians Business Alliance) offers valuable information, job listings, and networking opportunities for aspiring retail dietitians. You can also find articles about current trends and interviews with leaders in the field.
• Joining professional organizations such as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics can also provide valuable resources and connections in this field. The Supermarket and Retail subgroup of the Food & Culinary Professionals DPG is exactly the group of people to network with.
• Consider reaching out to retail stores and dietitians in your area to inquire about potential job opportunities or even internships. “Shadowing is a great start even if just for a day,” says Emily Bumgarner, M.Ed., RDN, LDN Regional Retail Dietitian at Weis Markets, Inc.
• Grocery Dive
• Food Network

Retail dietitian salary

Retail dietitians are typically paid a salary, with an average salary of $88,000 per year and a range of $64K - $93K according to Glassdoor.

However, this can vary depending on location, experience, and the type of store or company you work for as well as your skills in negotiating.

“From what I learned interviewing at local hospitals, a retail job seems to pay much better than a clinical position. Since grocery/pharmacy is a business that is always needed there is room for salary growth if your retailer sees the benefit RDs bring.” - Emily Bumgarner, M.Ed., RDN, LDN Regional Retail Dietitian at Weis Markets, Inc.

In addition to the salary, retail dietitians may also receive benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, and vacation time. Some retail dietitians have a bonus structure built into their total compensation package.

How to land a retail dietitian job

If this is work that resonates with you, here are places to look for your next role:

• NutritionJobs - be sure to set up a job alert so that you’re ready to apply for an opening as soon as it is posted.
• ARC Health & Wellness Community - search The Association of Retail and Consumer Professionals.

Jennifer Patricca, MS, RDN, LDN former Publix Supermarket dietitian shares “I would recommend looking up the grocery stores in your area to see if they have dietitians at retail or corporate or both. Inquire about shadowing opportunities or set up a phone call to discuss their role. Grocery stores that have dietitians are Kroger, Hy-Vee, Wegmans, Publix, ShopRite, HEB, Meijer, Giant, Stop and Shop, Giant Eagle, Weis, and Schnucks.”

“I also encourage people to reach out to dietitians in any work environment they may be interested in and ask for an informational interview or if they are taking students to shadow or intern with. Most RDs I know are happy to share their experience and network, so if you're interested in becoming a retail dietitian I encourage students to find us and reach out with questions! You never know if that connection could lead to your next opportunity.” - Caitlin Rulli, RDN, CDN, Retail Dietitian at ShopRite.

Tip: Be sure to search for variations of this job title, not just “retail dietitian.” For example, “supermarket dietitian.”

Insights from Retail Dietitians

We reached out to some registered dietitians working as retail dietitians and asked them to share their insights and advice for others interested in this role, including the best part of their work as a retail dietitian.

Here's what they had to say:

“The best part of being a retail dietitian is the diversity of the job and the freedom to lean into my passions. Personally, I love working with kids and I'm passionate about cooking, so I can tailor my programming to my strengths. I also like that I'm not chained to my desk - I walk around the store, connect with customers and my associates, and get to do out-of-store events to bring wellness to my community.” - Caitlin Rulli, RDN, CDN, Retail Dietitian at ShopRite.

“As a retail dietitian located in the brick and mortar store, be comfortable with being the face of nutrition in the community you work in and all that goes along with it. You become a “media spokesperson” and people want to know you/work with you. I think it’s important that you enjoy having all types of contact and conversations with humans; it is very important for this role.” - Anne Cundiff, RD, LD, FAND, Corporate Hy-Vee Dietitian

“I am grateful to have served military families with an amazing team at Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA).” -Karen Hawkins, RDN

Sample retail dietitian job description

General:

This position will be responsible for researching and providing information on health topics. You will participate in store projects, including Health Market and dietitian activities. Additionally you will ensure a positive company image by providing courteous, friendly, and efficient customer service to customers and team members.

Competencies

• Partnerships
• Growth mindset
• Results oriented
• Customer focused
• Professionalism

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provides prompt, efficient and friendly customer service by exhibiting caring, concern and patience in all customer interactions and treating customers as the most important people in the store.
• Smiles and greets customers in a friendly manner.
• Makes an effort to learn customers’ names and to address them by name whenever possible.
• Assists customers by:
  • escorting them to the products they’re looking for
  • securing products that are out of reach
  • loading or unloading heavy items
  • making note of and passing along customer suggestions or requests
  • performing other tasks in every way possible to enhance the shopping experience.
• Answers the telephone promptly when called upon, and provides friendly, helpful service to customers who call.
• Researches health topics for use in store materials, newspaper articles, health tips, intercom messages, website, etc.
• Create media pitches from health topics and articles.
• Update product nutrient lists, such as low sodium food lists.
• Write intercom Announcements.
• Assists with nutrition projects for food service departments.
• Plan end cap promotions for new stores.
• Help create PowerPoint presentations for area meetings.
• Work with vendors and coordinate promotions with our dietitians and Health Markets.
• Help maintain dietitian schedules on the website.
• Participates in store projects including new stores and existing store remodels.
• Keeps current on nutrition topics and customer trends.
• Maintains strict adherence to department and company guidelines related to personal hygiene and dress.
• Adheres to company policies and individual store guidelines
• Obtains HIPAA certification and respects all patient confidentiality matters
• Reports to work when scheduled and on time.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Worker Characteristics:

• Must have the ability to solve practical problems; variety of variables with limited standardization; interpret instructions.
• Must have the ability to do arithmetic calculations involving fractions, decimals, and percentages.
• Must possess the ability to understand and follow verbal or demonstrated instructions; write identifying information; file and post materials; copy data from one record to another; guide people and provide basic direction.

That's a wrap

We hope this article helped you gain a better understanding of what it means to be a retail dietitian. From working with customers to promoting healthy food choices, it's a unique and rewarding career path for registered dietitians.

If you're interested in pursuing this role, don't be afraid to network and reach out to potential employers or join professional organizations for support and guidance.

And always be ready: keep your resume and LinkedIn profile up to date. At NutritionJobs, we have several curated courses designed to help you land your perfect job, ASAP. After implementing our strategies, your LinkedIn profile will shine, your resume will clearly communicate your skills and experience and you’ll be ready to conquer the interview with confidence. Enroll here.