There are two basic truths in most of grocery retailing. The first is that if the manufacturer has the money, than the retailer has the space. The second is that what people say they buy (or want to buy) and what they actually purchase are quite often two very different things.
A piece on The Atlantic website included an unscientific look at product displays in a small number of supermarkets in North Carolina to discover whether or not the stores were putting nutritious items out front (or back) to encourage customers to lead healthier lives. North Carolina, according to Hank Cardello, author of Stuffed: An Insider's Look at Who's (Really) Making America Fat, is ranked in the top 15 of obese states in the U.S.
What Mr. Cardello discovered on his store visits was that 59 percent of displays (an average of 67 per location) did not contain "better for you" products. On the plus side, he reported that 88 percent of beverage displays included low or no calorie options along with the highly sweetened drinks.
Also on the plus side, Mr. Cardello pointed to a number of chains that are making progress on the nutrition front, including Hy-Vee's Blue Zones checkout test, Publix with ready-to-eat nutritious meals for kids, and Walmart's pledge to reduce sodium in its private label.