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October 24 , 2005
Crawford Long Hospital expands partnership with Whole Foods Market

BY Suzanne Faulk

Crawford Long Hospital has expanded its partnership with Whole Foods Market, the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket. The partnership includes new dining options, a lecture series and a program for new parents.

Crawford Long patients and visitors now will have the added convenience of selecting from Whole Foods products at the hospital’s Seasonings Café, which features 42 varieties of Whole Foods pre-packaged, prepared food items. This marks the first time that Whole Foods will sell its ready-to-eat prepared foods in a hospital, and Crawford Long nutritionists welcomed the opportunity.

“At Emory Healthcare, we try to provide food selections that encourage healthy eating options,” said Lynn Moore, assistant director of food and nutrition services at Emory Healthcare (EHC). “Whole Foods Market’s focus on natural and organic products provides patients and visitors with yet another alternative.”

Flavorful food items—some developed specifically for Seasonings Café—include teriyaki shrimp and vegetable noodle bowls, black bean and cheese burritos, wild mushroom lasagna, grilled vegetable quesadillas, and spinach and red pepper quiche. These are among the 42 pre-packaged items offered in the café, with 30–35 items available at any given time. The prepared food items are simple, to-go options, and they are easy to heat and serve for guests who wish to dine in and enjoy a hot meal at the café.

“The idea for this partnership began with a free lecture series featuring [EHC] presenters interacting with Whole Foods Market customers who were in attendance,” said Russ Benblatt, Whole Foods marketing manager. “We quickly learned that the [EHC] staff, patients and their families wanted to see us working together, and Seasonings Café is a perfect place to fulfill that request.

“Whole Foods Market will use the [EHC] partnership as a model to roll out similar programs in other cities across the United States,” he continued.

“Adding Whole Foods products to our selection also allows us to expand our vegetarian options for that growing segment of our customer base,” said Nicole Cronican, manager of Seasonings Café.

But the new partnership expands beyond the café. The Crawford Long Maternity Center has teamed up with Whole Foods to offer gift certificates to new parents following a birth at the hospital.

The EHC/Whole Foods partnership began with a series of free lectures and demonstrations for the public on topics such as how to make your own baby food, nutrition for breastfeeding, the connection between food and cancer, heart-healthy cooking, gluten-free foods, and the joy of soy. All lectures are held at the Whole Foods Midtown Atlanta location and feature an EHC expert as well as a Whole Foods product specialist.

“In developing this lecture series, we realized just how many topics are related to health and nutrition,” said Melissa Forster-Green, marketing manager for EHC women’s services. “It only made sense to combine our health care expertise with Whole Foods Market’s approach to natural and organic foods. We want to encourage people to make smart decisions for their health, diet and lifestyle.”

Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (www.wholefoodsmarket.com) is the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket and the United States’ first national certified organic grocer. In fiscal year 2004, the company had sales of $3.9 billion and currently has more than
175 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

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