New year, new me… new convenience? Inside the healthier food reset

As consumers reset their habits at the start of a new year, the ripple effect is being felt far beyond the gym and the grocery aisle. Convenience retail is undergoing its own health-focused reboot, with shoppers increasingly seeking out fresher, cleaner and more functional food options that fit busy, on-the-go lifestyles. Once defined by indulgence and impulse, the channel is evolving into a credible destination for better-for-you choices – driven by rising health awareness, demand for transparency and a growing expectation that convenience should support, not derail, everyday wellbeing.

GlobalConvenience.com spoke to Hope Howie, US-based health and convenenience consultant. Her mission of improving access to healthier food options at US gas stations and her expertise in relationship building chimes perfectly with Insight’s goal of driving the foodservice revolution through knowledge sharing and global collaboration.

Howie is combining her two passions for health and relationship building following a career in operations in the forecourt sector and experience in foodservice.

The former taught her how to be resourceful and forge strong relationships in the industry. Foodservice saw her personal and business life converge.

A bikini body builder pro, Howie understood how hard it was to find healthy food options on the road. It sparked her mission to help bring better for you and fresh offerings into convenience retail.

It may sound simple, but crucially Howie also recognises the importance of understanding different retailer and customer needs.

“Fresh and better for you looks different for every retailer,” she says. “It could be a protein pretzel or a doughnut with cleaner ingredients or fresh food that elevates grab and go,” she explains.

“I’m helping retailers offer better for you fresh products, that meet customer expectations.”

Hope Howie

What’s driving the ‘Better-For-You’ boom

Working across multiple retailers and partnering with the foodservice operators for the leading convenience chains, Howie has identified that the key retailer driver is for clean, simple ingredients in food programmes. “That’s not how convenience was five years ago,” she says. “They are moving more towards transparency and what the item actually is.”

A strong example is energy balls, which provide a no-nonsense mix of ingredients – oats, honey, peanut butter and chocolate chips, she says.

The aspiration is high with one retailer client aiming to be the ‘Trader Joe’s of convenience’. “That’s where the convenience industry is moving as a whole,” Howie says.

The move towards simple, clean ingredients is not without its challenges, however.

For many retailers, maintaining consistency across all locations is a key challenge. Similarly, training staff to prep and serve new foodservice options is a key requirement. Guaranteeing the supply chain is also essential.

According to Howie, strong suppliers can be game changers in this respect. They can assist with challenges like staff training by making sandwiches easier for an employee to assemble, for example. They can help maintain consistency by mastering the footprint of a retailer’s locations and enable stores to innovate by introducing those products with simple, clean ingredients.

Proof points: healthier convenience in action

Howie cites the US convenience chain Wawa as one retailer making great strides in offering better for you lines including a fresh, egg white omelette.

The retailer’s kiosk-based ordering system groups three clearly labelled sections:

• Protein powered food and snacks
• Calorie conscious items
• Protein smoothies

These callouts instantly communicate function and help customers navigate toward goals like energy, protein, and calorie awareness.

This kind of play does not necessarily involve bringing in new items, rather rethinking existing ones such as putting chicken into a high protein bowl or converting a kid-sized meal into lighter adult portions or offering portion-controlled indulgences, Howie says.

But it must be a credible offer in order to win consumer trust, she adds.

Wawa’s protein powered foods, for instance, offer 20g or more of protein and the retailer calls this differentiator out.

Avoiding customer confusion when introducing a new category is also critical but this goes back to educating the customer too.

“Customers are moving to functional call outs – they feel they are making a better choice,” she says.

Outside of the US, Howie has observed the trend from local restaurants and QSRs to offer take-home family meals, which can be simply warmed up at home. C-stores are also getting in on the trend with individual meals, she says.

Suppliers, meanwhile, are getting increasingly innovative. Howie cites the Jolt Cola energy drink brand, which is combining a low sugar energy drink with nostalgic marketing and packaging.

Elsewhere, 7-Eleven is bringing its popular Japanese egg salad sandwich to the US and is reported to be pivoting its American model, away from fuel, cigarettes and snacks and towards convenience, fresh food and real meals.

“The fact they are pushing that suggests there is a strong need in the market,” Howie says.

Health-minded, time-strapped, convenience-driven

High Protein Range from M&S Food

Indeed, the appetite for healthier eating is getting stronger, Howie reports.

“Customers are more health minded, time strapped and convenience oriented. That’s driving retailers to rethink their assortment,” she says.

Millennials and Gen Z, in particular, want better ingredients and brands. A recent study showed 61% of shoppers seek out better for you items, Howie reveals. Retailers who respond will increase their basket size, bring in more female shoppers and build loyalty and new traffic, she says.

The enormity of the shift is evidenced in Hershey’s recent acquisition of the Lesser Evil popcorn brand with the chocolate brand’s CEO stating the company was “delivering more of what consumers want in their lives – better for you indulgent treats”.

“It shows how strong the trend is – customers want their cake and protein too,” Howie smiles.

Consumers are reacting extremely well to the new transparency in convenience, increasingly using the Yuka app to scan food products in order to understand the impact on their health, she adds.

Why Better-For-You is a competitive advantage

The trend to healthier products represents a massive opportunity for the broader industry, Howie maintains.

“Better for you is becoming a competitive advantage and not just a niche category. There will be more customisation with c-stores acting more like QSRs and reimagining their existing inventory to make it healthier with lighter formats and smaller portions, lower calorie builds and cleaner ingredient swaps.

“These will increase people’s options, get them into the store and they will spend more,” she says.
However, the shift can only be achieved when retailers focus on innovation that’s rooted in practicality. It’s where partnering with like-minded suppliers comes to the fore, Howie says. “Be curious and they can be curious with you,” she opines.

Why the industry wins when it moves together

Communication and sharing insights at events like the NACS Show is also fundamental to industry success, Howie states. “We are an industry battling against others. When it moves forward is when we move together. We are not just building individual retail brands but shaping the reputation of the entire channel. We win as one industry not as silos,” she says.
The role of social media, like TikTok, is immense, she adds. Howie recommends retailers partner with local creators and influencers and give them a ‘shout out’ on their menus. Featuring cult products like the Dubai chocolate bar or high protein cookie dough will also win cut though.

“I’m incredibly excited about the future. In the next five years convenience stores will evolve into food destinations – they’ve done a total 180 degree turn and are now places known for fresh and functional offerings, better assortments and thoughtful innovation,” Howie says. Innovation and collaboration will drive that transformation. “Retailers that lean into these new ideas, reimagine foodservice and partner closely with suppliers will shape the next era of convenience. I am very excited to be a part of it and grow the industry,” she says.