You really can learn something new every day, and that includes during your trip to the grocery store.

Some area grocery stores are going further when it comes to educating shoppers, from providing online recipe boxes to in-house help from a registered dietitian.

On a mission

The Merc Co-op, 901 Iowa St., has a long history of education in the community. Nancy O’Connor, the director of education and outreach for The Merc, has been in her position for almost 23 years.

“One of the cooperative principles that all co-ops adhere to is a commitment to community and education,” O’Connor said. The Merc complements its efforts with a full staff, too: There are six people on the outreach and education team.

The Merc also has the facilities to support its education mission. The store has a community multipurpose classroom with a full, welcoming kitchen, overhead mirrors and seating for 32 people with real dishes, cloth napkins and candles.

“In the evenings, this classroom is used for cooking classes that are open to the whole community,” O’Connor said. “Last year, 3,000 people took classes here.”

The classes are very broad in scope, everything from homemade medicine to casual Italian cooking. Classes are taught by professionals from chefs to certified nutrition coaches.

“We are saying to our community, we’d like to meet you where you’re at,” O’Connor said. There’s no judgment at The Merc, she said: A detox class can be taught the night after a food and beer pairing class. “This program is a gateway to our store, a way to invite people in.”

The Merc also partners with nearby schools such as Hillcrest and Sunset Hill elementary schools and West Middle School for store tours and lessons on snacks. The co-op’s 501c3 Community Mercantile Foundation oversees school garden projects, and the food is harvested and put back into the school system.

There are community meetings for nonprofits in the multipurpose room, too. And The Merc now sends staff members to workplaces to give presentations to employees on site.

“It’s a big commitment, and more people are jumping on this education bandwagon, which is wonderful,” O’Connor said.

Serving the community

Hy-Vee has hitched onto the education train. Kylene Etzel has been the registered dietitian with Hy-Vee in Lawrence for five years. She’s currently at the store at 3504 Clinton Parkway.

Being in a store is a great place when people are ready to make decisions about changes in their diet, Etzel said. Someone might need guidance after a surgery or hospital stay, and dietitians are helpful in that role, she said. “But when they come into a store, and they’re ready to do something, we’re here for them; we’re that supporting service.”

Etzel gets and gives referrals from and to several local agencies, such as Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, HealthCare Access and Heartland Community Health. “Really, word of mouth helps a lot,” she said.

Hy-Vee dietitians take part in health fairs that allow them to get out to where people who might have questions would be. “Lawrence has a lot of health-focused events, and we make sure we’re there so we can get information out.”

Etzel works with people who have nutrition needs across the spectrum: athletes, paleo diet followers and even just the average meat-and-potatoes Midwestern eater who is looking for healthy alternatives.

Hy-Vee dietitians provide store tours for individuals or groups, medical nutritional therapy with a doctor’s referral and health screenings for everything from blood sugar and blood pressure to cholesterol and body mass index. There is typically a fee for medical therapy and screenings.

The chain typically has at least one dietitian on staff at every store, and those professionals often lead classes on wellness and cooking. Staff dietitians also host support groups on topics such as gluten-free diets, diabetes education and vegetarianism, just to name a few. Most stores have the schedules for classes and interest groups posted by the dietitian’s office door.

Etzel said her interest groups are instructional both in theory and in hands-on experience, as she usually showcases a recipe that provides the ultimate draw: free food. “My support groups are part cooking classes,” she said. “Food’s always involved, so the topics may be ‘What’s for Breakfast?’ but I’ll be showing them what is a good choice for that meal.” The support groups are free and last an hour.

Kroger, which owns Dillons stores in Lawrence, doesn’t have staff dietitians in stores. However, Molly McBride, a registered dietitian with Kroger’s corporate office in Cincinnati, said by email that stores contract with dietitians to conduct tours and provide coaching and education for people with conditions like diabetes. She recommended that any shoppers with questions talk to the in-store pharmacist for more information.

“As a retail dietitian myself, I certainly believe the presence of nutrition professionals in the grocery setting is highly impactful to our customers, so I hope our dietitian count only grows in the future,” McBride said.