Continuous Improvement

Written by on February 20th, 2012.
Filed under: Mary Ellen Burris

Wegmans Raisin BranYou could say we’re making good on a resolution created in January 2011 (yes, a year ago), taking a systematic approach to making Wegmans Brand products ever better.   This is not to imply that we weren’t doing our best in the past, because we’ve had a consistent quality assurance program, but we wanted to step back and conduct a methodical review of products, category by category.  Sounds simple, but like most everything, it’s not as simple as it seems.  It means opening up every package of every product, analyzing, counting (blueberries in the waffles e.g.), popular brand comparison (if there is one), examining customer comments, etc. Such assessments take time, followed by action on the findings.

We had a few specific things we wanted to accomplish in this review.  Sometimes sodium levels were higher than needed for good flavor, so we’ve begun to lower them, using the National Sodium Reduction Initiative benchmarks.  It makes sense since more people are learning that their sodium intake is mostly from packaged foods. We also wanted to increase whole grains, remove partially hydrogenated fats and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), minimize sugar where possible and find alternative suppliers to those from China.

Wegmans Gluten Free Stir-Fry SaucesWe’ve made real progress, super-charged after a July move of our QA people to great new facilities (laboratories, test kitchen, etc.) that previously housed our closed Brooks-Chili store in Rochester.  So how are we doing?  There are 245 items affected so far.  Almost 50 have lower sodium, including beef and chicken broth and ready-to-eat canned soups (Minestrone, Italian Wedding, Chicken Noodle and Clam Chowder).  Other soups are being worked on.  Asian Sauces have lower sodium, as well as made gluten-free, vegan and Kosher.  Raisin bran and crunchy raisin bran have less sodium as well as more fiber and iron, and HFCS has been removed. Thin wheat crackers got a face lift with less sodium, more whole grains and removal of HFCS.  Honey graham and cinnamon graham crackers have less sodium, more whole grains and inner packs re-oriented to reduce breakage.   Potato chips are now gluten-free.

Not hitting the shelf yet are sodium reductions in the traditional salad dressings (15 of them).  Corn squares and corn flake cereals are coming with reduced sodium, and the corn squares will soon boast the gluten-free key.  On the hot cereal side, instant oatmeals with reduced sodium and sugar are coming soon.   And there are now blueberries in the blueberry waffles, thanks to our customers who asked where the blueberries went!
There are many other changes, all for the better…and lots more to come.

How are we doing?  Let us know what you think!

Senior Vice President, Consumer Affairs
40 years @ Wegmans

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28 Comments »

28 Responses to “Continuous Improvement”

  1. I just want to say I love Wegmans and shop at my local Wegmans in Johnson City, NY at least once a week! The past couple of weeks, Wegmans organic white potatoes have been unavailable. When will they be available again? Thank you!

    Heather Yoest commented on April 26, 2012.
    Reply

  2. I love that Wegmans is moving toward removing trans fat. I was shocked to see that Wegmans Fruity Rice Crisps cereal still contains partially hydrogenated oils. When might Wegmans products no longer contain hydrogenated oils?

    When might Wegmans remove FD&C colorings (like Yellow No. 6)from items like vitamins et cetera?

    Tony commented on April 11, 2012.
    Reply

    • Hi Tony,

      Our quality assurance team is focused on removing partially hydrogenated oils from Wegmans brand products as a priority. They’re also working on removing artificial flavors and coloring where they can. It may help to keep an eye out for the yellow ‘Food You Feel Good About‘ banner as you’re shopping. Products with the banner are free of artificial colors, flavors or preservatives; free of trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils; and fresh meats are from animals not given antibiotics, hormones or animal by-products.

      Thanks for your comment. Your feedback helps us improve what we do!

      -Valerie
      Media Specialist, Wegmans Consumer Affairs

      Valerie Fox commented on April 13, 2012.
      Reply

  3. While you are trying to make improvements I think some other things have fallen to the way side there are several products that I buy that have been unavailable for weeks now including the super yogurt fruit at the bottom and the apple and cinnamon Wegmans instant oatmeal to name a few. Not to mention the gas I have used to drive to other Wegmans to try to find these items because there is no sign indicating that there are problems getting these products in. The past year Wegmans has been very disappointing time and time again! Can’t remember the last time I’ve been able to get everything on my list. Several products have also been discontinued as well and then my next replacement has been as well just months later. Just taking things away without notice or warning is getting ridiculous and frankly I’m about to be a price chopper shopper if Wegmans can’t get their stuff together this year!

    Sincerely,
    A disappointed customer!

    Sarah commented on March 11, 2012.
    Reply

    • Hi Sarah,

      We’re so sorry to have disappointed you. Our customers frequently call or write when they’ve had a problem, and we’re grateful for the chance to make things right. I’m sending a copy of your comments to our consumer affairs specialists. A specialist will follow up with you at the email address you provided here. I sincerely apologize for the out of stock issues you’ve experienced recently in our store. Thank you for taking the time to let us know about your concerns. We hope to continue serving you in the future.

      -Valerie
      Media Specialist

      Valerie Fox commented on March 12, 2012.
      Reply

  4. Bravo on all the sodium reduction! Now, if you could, please turn your attention to one of my favorite Wegmans products: Grandma’s Pomodoro Sauce. It really does taste like my grandma’s sauce but I’d enjoy it even more if the sodium content, though competitive with other brands, could be brought down a bit.

    Tom commented on March 9, 2012.
    Reply

    • Hi Tom,

      We’re thrilled that you like Grandma’s Pomodoro Sauce! We’ll share your comment with the appropriate folks here to consider taking a look at the sodium content. Your feedback is most appreciated :-)

      -Valerie
      Media Specialist

      Valerie Fox commented on March 12, 2012.
      Reply

  5. I love the idea of making packaged food healthier. I’m concerned it may affect people with food allergies. For example, sometimes Gluten-free products have Garbonzo bean flour added. My son is allergic to Garbonzo beans.

    Can you give a list of the ingredients added, especially regarding the top 10 allergens: Peanut, tree nuts, dairy, egg, wheat, gluten, seasame, fish, shellfish, soy?

    Rennie commented on February 27, 2012.
    Reply

    • Hi Rennie,
      Current FDA regulations require manufacturers to clearly list when any of the top 8 food allergens are in a product. Those allergens are Milk, Eggs, Peanuts, Tree nuts, Fish, Shellfish, Soy and Wheat. The FDA does not require sesame or gluten from rye & barley to be clearly listed at this time. To help customers quickly identify if a Wegmans brand product contains or may contain one of the top 8 food allergens we developed our Allergen Wellness key – it’s a green circle with a white “A” and its next to the “Contains:___” or “May Contain:___” allergen statements typically on the back or side panel of the food package.

      While the FDA does not require manufacturers to clearly list when sesame or gluten from rye & barley may be present in a food, we do have some suggestions that may help. To avoid gluten look for Wegmans brand products that have the Gluten-Free Wellness Key located on the front label of the food package. To avoid sesame you will need to read the ingredient statement. If sesame is an ingredient used to produce a Wegmans brand product we will list “sesame seeds” or “sesame oil” in the ingredient statement. However, since sesame is not one of the Top 8 Food Allergens our suppliers are not required to provide information on the potential risk of cross contact with sesame. Thus, we do not know what products may have this risk. However, if there is a particular product you are interested in finding out if there is a risk of cross contact we would be happy to call our supplier to inquire about the potential risk.

      I hope this information is helpful to you. Good luck and let me know if you have other questions.

      Trish Kazacos, RD, ACE-CPT commented on February 27, 2012.
      Reply

  6. For the last couple of weeks Wegman’s brand Maple and Brown Sugar oatmeal has not been available and I’ve checked multiple stores. It’s my son’s favorite breakfast cereal – will it be coming back?

    Chris commented on February 26, 2012.
    Reply

    • Hi Chris,

      Thanks for asking. We apologize that your son’s favorite oatmeal hasn’t been available. We are making some changes to give it a heartier texture and redesign the package. Unfortunately, we ran out of the former product before we were able to replace it with the new formula. Good news: it should be back on the shelves within the next two weeks. Sorry for any inconvenience this has caused, and please let us know what you and your son think of the new version.

      -Valerie
      Media Specialist

      Valerie Fox commented on February 27, 2012.
      Reply

  7. Your Warrington, PA store has discontinued carrying Spectrum organic mayonnaise (32 oz.) in glass jars. Will you be offering your own organic mayo? To purchase Spectrum’s smaller container is not cost effective.

    Also, Natural Sea has tuna in BPA-free cans, which is great. I don’t believe the other can lining is safe…. if the FDA says something, I check it out. Likewise on fructose…. the FDA is wrong about this being “safe”.

    Jacqueline Temple commented on February 25, 2012.
    Reply

    • Hi Jacqueline,

      We checked with the folks in our Nature’s Marketplace office and they tell us that Wegmans Organic Mayonnaise will be available within the next few months. Stay tuned!

      -Valerie
      Media Specialist

      Valerie Fox commented on February 28, 2012.
      Reply

  8. I am delighted that Wegmans continues to evolve and improve the products it offers. Your efforts to lower sodium levels and remove HFCS from products is definitely appreciated by members of my family.

    Brenda commented on February 24, 2012.
    Reply

  9. While you’re reducing sodium, I hope you’re looking at eliminating MSG. So many lower-sodium products, especially soups, claim low sodium but still have MSG, which I and other fibromyalgia sufferers can’t tolerate.
    Thanks for letting us have input and keeping us informed!

    Deb commented on February 24, 2012.
    Reply

  10. What about BPA can lining?
    What happened to Wegmans Heavy Cream (UPC 7789022613) that had only cream in it and no other emulsifiers, thickeners and stuff?

    Alexey commented on February 23, 2012.
    Reply

    • We occasionally receive questions from our customers about the presence of BPA in can linings. This topic is a moving target, but we’re trying to be at the forefront of this issue and have been in regular conversation with all of our canned food suppliers.

      Bisphenol-A (BPA) is sometimes found in the epoxy lining of cans used for food storage. There have been questions about the safety of BPA, although the Food and Drug Administration has not identified a threat to human health. As a precaution, some food companies have been working with the canning industry to see if alternative linings are available. Some challenges still exist – including the supply and demand of the new lining. But progress is being made.

      For instance, Wegmans canned organic tomatoes from the summer production of 2011 are now in non-epoxy lined cans. In addition, 95% of conventional (non-organic) Wegmans brand tomatoes from the summer production of 2011 are in non-epoxy lined cans. (Since the FDA has not identified any threat, the remaining 5% are canned in the epoxy-lined cans that the processor had in inventory.) This new lining has been tested for shelf-life and product quality.

      With regard to your second question, we still offer Wegmans Heavy Cream that contains only pasteurized Grade A cream. It is fresh and all natural, with no other ingredients. You’ll find it sold by the half pint in a purple container.

      Mary Ellen Burris commented on February 24, 2012.
      Reply

      • I’ve visited two stores in Woodbridge and Bridgewater for two weeks and in both stores the (UPC 7789022613) heavy cream was either not available or replaced by the ultra-pasteurized variery in a very similar looking purple half-pint box.

        Alexey commented on February 24, 2012.
        Reply

        • Hi Alexey,

          I saw recent sales on the fresh heavy cream you referenced at both our Woodbridge and Bridgewater stores and also called those dairy departments to confirm that it is available. Our folks tell me that it is located right next to the ultra-pasteurized variety in the dairy cooler. If you don’t see it, please ask an employee for assistance.

          -Valerie
          Media Specialist

          Valerie Fox commented on February 27, 2012.
          Reply

  11. Hi Mary,

    Since Wegmans works so hard on bringing us the best products …I would like to conduct some Indian vegetarian & gluten free cooking classes inside a Wegman’s store & that too using products available in the store. Please let me know if I can do that . I would highly appreciate your response.

    Thanks,
    alpana
    South Brunswick, NJ

    alpana commented on February 22, 2012.
    Reply

    • Hi Alpana,

      Thank you for your interest. At this time our Wegmans store chefs host the in-store cooking/demo classes. A schedule of events can be found here.

      -Valerie
      Media Specialist

      Valerie Fox commented on February 24, 2012.
      Reply

  12. This is such great news! I’ve stepped away from processed/packaged foods because of the high sodium and sugar contents, but now it seems that the Wegmans brand might be a good source!

    http://www.alittlenosh.net

    Amy @ A Little Nosh commented on February 22, 2012.
    Reply

  13. Glad to hear this. I was disappointed when you changed the formula on your pancake syrup to include HFCS, and discontinued the non-HFCS version.

    Wendy commented on February 21, 2012.
    Reply

  14. I was very disappointed to find sugar in your canned corn. I had seen a segment on the news saying sugar is in 80% of what people but including cannes vegetables and I thought “who buys canned veggies with sugar?!” well turns out I had been without even knowing. I had no idea I needed to check the ingredient list on CORN. So sad.

    Kristen commented on February 21, 2012.
    Reply

    • It seems like alot of canned corn brands have added sugar. Wegmans adds sugar to a lot of their products inappropriately, but this really isn’t one of them!

      NoVA commented on February 22, 2012.
      Reply

    • A very good question! Several varietals of corn are used for canned vegetables and they can have different levels of naturally occurring sugar. Traditional varieties are lower in sugar, so we add sugar to them in order to get the flavor just right – a bit more reminiscent of fresh-cut sweet corn.

      If you’d like to avoid added sugar, we do offer other options. Some varieties of corn are naturally sweet enough on their own, like those used in Wegmans Crisp ‘N Sweet canned corn, No Salt Added canned corn and Organic canned corn, none of which have sugar as an added ingredient.

      Mary Ellen Burris commented on February 22, 2012.
      Reply

  15. Can you work on removing the food coloring dye red40 from your products.

    Tim Grady commented on February 21, 2012.
    Reply

    • Hi Tim,

      Look for our Food You Feel Good About products with the yellow banner on the label. We don’t use any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives in FYFGA products.

      We always appreciate your feedback and we’ll keep working on improvements.

      Mary Ellen Burris commented on February 21, 2012.
      Reply

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