KEASBEY, N.J. – ShopRite and RWJBarnabas Health have announced that they are expanding their partnership to provide a new education program designed to help shoppers to manage their weight and improve their overall well-being. Titled, “Eat Well. Be Happy,” the six-week program will be offered free of charge to customers starting this month, and taught in-store by ShopRite’s team of registered dietitians.

This is the second program offered to ShopRite consumers as part of a joint initiative between the supermarket and RWJBarnabas Health, the state’s largest and most comprehensive health care system. In April 2017, ShopRite and RWJBarnabas Health first partnered to develop and launch “Hands-On Healthy Kids,” a free program that inspires lifelong healthy eating habits in children. The program is currently offered at select ShopRite locations across the Northeast.

“We are thrilled to be partnering once again with RWJBarnabas Health on another innovative and unique consumer education program,” says Natalie Menza-Crowe, director of health and wellness at ShopRite. “We know that our free kids’ classes have been extremely popular with our shoppers and their children. With this new offering that we have developed in conjunction withRWJBarnabas Health, we can truly fulfill our shared mission of working together to keep communities healthy.”

“Eat Well. Be Happy,” is based on a curriculum developed in tandem with nutrition experts and dietitians from RWJBarnabas Health, as well as the supermarket’s own team of dietitians, which consists of over 100 full-time in-store and corporate dietitians. The classes are held on a rolling schedule, and available at participating ShopRite locations across New Jersey. Customers can sign up by visiting shoprite.com.

“Providing access to fresh and healthy foods is a critical component as we seek to improve community health outcomes. ShopRite has been a strong partner in tackling tough issues such as food insecurity and obesity, as well as the resulting chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and depression,” said Barry Ostrowsky, president and chief executive officer at RWJBarnabas Health.  “This program will provide adults with hands-on training and support in learning how to eat healthier, therefore creating healthier families and, by extension, healthier communities.”

Although both the kids’ and adults’ sessions are each six weeks long, participants can drop in at any point. While the kids’ classes feature scavenger hunts, cooking instruction, healthy recipes, and nutrition and wellness tips, the adult class focuses on a wide variety of topics, including successful goal setting techniques, meal planning tips, recipes ideas, label reading, and much more.

“We wanted to ensure that the programs ShopRite and RWJBarnabas Health design provide customers with the skills they need to make the right choices that lead to sustainable life changes,” said Barbara Mintz, senior vice president for healthy living and community and employee engagement for RWJBarnabas Health.