How Wakefern Uses Off-Pack Data to Serve Wellness-Driven Shoppers
By transforming product packaging into a source of structured, searchable data, Wakefern Food Corp. is helping health-conscious shoppers find items that align with their specific wellness goals, both in-store and online.
Shoppers today aren’t just looking for food—they’re looking for alignment with their wellness goals. According to NielsenIQ research shared at the session, 69% of American consumers say they’re willing to pay more to eat healthy, and 62% cite healthfulness as a key driver of food and beverage purchases. For retailers like Wakefern Food Corp, who has a stable of its own brands, this presents both an opportunity and a challenge: helping shoppers navigate the aisle and the app to find products that meet their needs.
“Customers are looking for items that help them live their lifestyle,” said Jessica Moorhead, data governance manager at Wakefern. “They want to make informed choices, especially when it comes to health.”
To meet this demand, Wakefern has built a robust data governance framework—one that turns packaging content into structured, searchable, and shoppable information.
From paper to pack-driven data
Wakefern’s data transformation started with a familiar pain point: unreliable manual input. “We used to create items using paper forms,” Moorhead explained. “It was prone to errors, delays, and inconsistencies.”
Wakefern moved toward more automated systems, starting with ingestion from the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN), then adding image validation, and ultimately adopting a fully automated process with NielsenIQ Brandbank. Today, all new items require Brandbank digital content before they can be entered into Wakefern’s system.
This shift enables Wakefern to extract validated information directly from packaging and use that data across both e-commerce and physical stores.
Packaging is the source of truth
At Wakefern, packaging is no longer just a billboard—it’s a data source.
“Packaging is central to our process,” Moorhead said. “We extract nutrition panels, claims, certifications, and even lifestyle imagery. It helps us support our customers both online and in-store.”
Using Brandbank’s tools, Wakefern turns these pack details into structured product attributes, enabling dietary filters like “low sodium,” “vegan,” or “gluten free.” These can be applied across shelf tags, digital kiosks, and mobile apps, enriching the customer experience and aiding in product discovery.
The illustration shows this clearly: Wakefern maps icons like “no added sugar” and “diabetic friendly” to physical packaging and then digitizes those icons for search and filter functions.
A unified content source for brand owners
Moorhead emphasized that this system only works if brand owners contribute accurate, updated pack content. “All new items must be in the Brandbank library,” she said. “If your pack changes, we need to recapture that information.”
This is where packaging and data governance intersect. “Your packaging updates aren’t just a creative refresh—they’re an opportunity to signal health attributes and support consumer choice,” she noted.
Moorhead encouraged suppliers to think of digital content as part of the packaging lifecycle. “If you’re reformulating or refreshing a label, that change needs to flow through to your content library. We want to ensure what’s online is a true reflection of what’s in your customer’s cart.”
Results
Wakefern’s commitment to packaging-derived data has paid off across multiple dimensions:
· Operational efficiency: Automation reduced manual labor and validation errors.
· Customer satisfaction: Shoppers find products that match their dietary needs quickly and confidently.
· Brand alignment: Suppliers can showcase their health and sustainability claims consistently across platforms.
As Moorhead summed up: “We’re turning packaging into digital value. When brands share rich, accurate pack data, we can deliver better experiences—and that’s what today’s shopper expects.”
Hiring remains a major challenge in packaging, with 78% struggling to fill unskilled roles and 84% lacking experienced workers. As automation grows, companies must rethink hiring and training. Download the full report for key insights.
