Hy-Vee Dietician Takes Top Honors in Wheat Foods Contest

Susan Coe, a registered dietitian and trained wellness coach with Hy-Vee, received the Wheat Foods Council’s (WFC) grand prize for its 2013 “Wheat – Healthy Choices for Every Meal” promotional contest.

Coe’s winning efforts revolved around a series of wheat-focused events, recipes and promotions she hosted on behalf of the Pacific Street Hy-Vee in Omaha, Neb., that were designed to get shoppers excited about wheat foods. For her “Focus on Grains” event, Coe invited Hy-Vee shoppers to stop by the HealthMarket and learn how to incorporate healthy grains into their diets, try samples and take home recipes. Coe also hosted a “Quick Meal Monday” demonstration in which she showed customers how to prepare a quick and easy meal, in this case, a simple pasta dish using whole wheat pasta. She helped to further spread the message about healthy wheat foods through Facebook postings featuring recipes and photographs.

WFC’s contest, open to supermarket dietitians and consumer affairs advisors nationwide, challenged participants to use social media, in-store demonstrations and other activities to get shoppers talking about wheat foods.

“The Wheat Foods Council focuses on registered dietitians, including supermarket dietitians and consumer affairs advisors, because these professionals are on the frontline when it comes to delivering accurate, science-based information about nutrition to consumers,” said Judi Adams, WFC president. “The contest provided a creative, fun way to reach out to these important influencers as part of our mission to help increase awareness of dietary grains as an essential component of a healthful diet.”

An active member of the Nebraska Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics – Omaha District and a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) – Coe has a wide range of expertise ranging from weight management, diabetes and heart disease to food allergies.

Coe, who enjoys teaching cooking classes and working with children, obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in nutritional science and dietetics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and her Master’s of Public Health from the University of Nebraska.

As the grand-prize winner, the Wheat Foods Council will send Coe to the 2013 Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) Oct. 19-22 in Houston, Texas. Widely regarded as the premier event for food and nutrition professionals, FNCE provides attendees with access to up-to-the-minute industry information, trends and research.