Aldi is equipping its exclusive Fit & Active line of better-for-you products with GDA "fit facts" on the bottom right hand corner of each package.

The discount limited assortment format operator is billing itself as the first U.S. grocer to showcase guideline daily amounts (GDAs) on its private label products.

Fit Facts include four standard nutritional facts based on the USDA's recommended daily allowances of calories, fat, sodium and sugar. The Fit & Active line will also feature supplemental benefits, such as products that are good sources of vitamins and minerals, good sources of fiber, are caffeine free, have low cholesterol, and have no trans fats.

"Since 2004, Aldi's Fit & Active line has offered healthy alternatives for smart shoppers on-the-go," said Joan Kavanaugh, v.p. of corporate purchasing for the Batavia, Ill.-based discount grocery chain. "Consumers' growing demand for healthier choices is a significant opportunity for us."
 
Consumer demand for Fit & Active products continues to grow exponentially, said Kavanaugh, adding that Fit & Active sales increased approximately 30 percent in 2007 compared to the previous year and are projected to grow another 30 percent in 2008.

With 58 core Fit & Active items offered daily and more than 20 additional products set to be featured as special purchase items throughout the year, the average retail price for the 121-variety line is $1.99.

All new Fit & Active products with GDA packaging will be available in stores beginning Jan. 1, 2009, the chain said. Millville, Aldi's exclusive cereal brand, also will feature GDAs on its product labeling effective Jan. 1.

Aldi operates nearly 1,000 U.S. stores in 29 states, primarily from Kansas to the East Coast.