Analysis aids workers in targeting results

Employees of United Natural Foods Inc. who wish to improve their health do not start by blindly jumping on a treadmill or diving into a bowl of fruit.

Instead, the process starts with an extensive blood screening that tells an employee precisely the state of his or her health. Done by a third party, the results go to employees, who may consult their doctors about the wellness work that lies ahead.

This outcomes-based method, said Nicole Wright, national benefits manager for United Natural Foods, “is truly an accurate measure of a person’s health.”

When employees decide improvement is needed, they can jump into the on-site Weight Watchers meetings, attend seminars about health topics, or take the company’s walking challenge.

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“If people make improvements … they get incentives,” Wright said. These include up to $1,500 a year deducted from health premiums for a worker who earns the maximum number of wellness points.

Results are impressive: thousands of pounds shed; tobacco habits stubbed out; cancers spotted early.

Seminars on topics that include reading food labels “are really well received,” she said. n

Number of Employees: 8,300

CEO (or equivalent): Steven Spinner, president and CEO

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