The Peapod home delivery grocery service has upgraded its service in recent weeks to help consumers make wise nutritional choices based on a variety of dietary considerations.
Using its proprietary NutriFilter software, Peapod now does all the label reading for customers to make them aware of ingredients that may not fit with their nutritional plan.
"These days, almost everyone has some type of dietary restriction, whether it's lower sodium, lower cholesterol or food allergies," Elana Margolis, a spokesperson with Peapod, told the Daily Herald. "So we created our own software to do this."
Consumers have been receptive to the system since it launched in mid-March with online usage having increased 30 percent since the filtering software became available.
The system works by going through all the products Peapod offers and highlighting those that meet the nutritional criteria input by consumers. Peapod customers can click on a variety of preset programs for gluten-free, peanut-free, low fat, Kosher or organic foods.
Shoppers also have the option of setting up criteria specific to their own needs based on a variety of preferences. These could include looking for ingredients such as fiber content.
Peapod is bullish on the new system. As Ms. Margolis put it, "We don't believe there's anything like our NutriFilter anywhere else."
Discussion Questions: Has Peapod hit on a point of difference with its NutriFilter system that can help it expand its customer base? Will similar systems be common in retail stores as well as in delivery services such as Peapod in the near future?