New CPG Marketing Tool Incents Shoppers to Buy Healthy

Minneapolis, MN (Mar 20, 2013) — A powerful new promotion and loyalty program for CPG companies looking to increase sales of their healthy brands is being announced today. The program is unique because it includes endorsements of healthy foods by health insurers and can be used across a wide range of participating retailers – a combination that has never before been available to CPG companies.

The program incents people to purchase healthy foods in two ways: by reducing the cost of those products, and by making the discounts as easy as possible for shoppers to use. Discounts and free offers are automatically made available to shoppers, who realize the savings at check-out. It’s the next generation of couponing – the smart coupon — says Barry Nordstrand, CEO of Solutran, developer of S3, the first-of-its-kind technology that drives the program.

“We’ve brought together a coalition of all the parties needed to tackle the mounting obesity epidemic in the U.S.,” said Nordstrand. “Food companies are making healthy products. Health insurers want to combat rising health
care costs. And retailers want to enable consumer-driven choices. It’s a powerful combination because we share the goal of eliminating barriers to healthier eating.” And, Nordstrand adds, it’s profitable and easy for all involved.
“We believe it is a recipe for healthier living.”

Dozens of individual product categories – from dairy to vegetables to proteins and grains – are now being filled by CPG brands wanting exclusivity for their products within the program. There are no setup or redemption fees
for CPGs to participate in the S3 program; the only cost is the discount given to the consumer. Interested CPG brands can visit Solutran.com/S3HealthySavings for real-time information on category availability.

Consumer households will begin to receive their cards in May. A regional roll-out by health-insurer Medica is happening in the Midwest, and Solutran will launch the program nationally in 2014. When consumers receive their
cards, they visit an educational website that provides content about healthy eating, let’s them build shopping lists and get recipes, and features a savings calculator that shows the shopper’s savings to date. The program’s website
features prominent branding of the items with discounts that week. $20 to $25 in new savings on nutritional foods, from all food groups and personal care items, are automatically loaded on every card each week.

Participating retailers in the first program include SUPERVALU® Inc. (Cub® Foods stores), Roundy’s® Supermarkets Inc. (Rainbow® stores), and Lund Food Holdings, Inc. (Lunds and Byerly’s stores). Committed CPG
brands currently number over 50 and include Del Monte Foods, Post Foods, Bimbo Bakeries USA, Clif Bar & Company, Dasani/Coca-Cola Company, Pan-O-Gold Baking Company/Country Hearth, Dreamfields Pasta,
Musselmans, Polar Beverages, Red Gold, Inc., Faribault Foods, Old Orchard Brands, Lifeway Foods, Inc., Catallia Mexican Foods, LLC, evian®, JOLLY TIME® Pop Corn, Parkers Farm, Krema Natural Peanut Butter, Flatout
Flatbreads and Yucatan Foods.

Dr. Robert Jeffery, director of the Obesity Prevention Center at the University of Minnesota, consults on the program. “Until now, there hasn’t been a way to drive healthy eating behavior that has been profitable to all parties,”
said Jeffery. “Using this new technology, Solutran has finally provided the sustainable model we have been seeking.”

About S3

S3 is a new promotional technology platform designed to educate and reward consumer communities using a crossretailer loyalty program, delivered through a bar-coded card and supporting digital media. Savings on targeted
products are pre-loaded into member’s accounts and are available for consumers, real-time, at all participating retail locations. Solutran’s S3 technology serves as the supporting substantiation platform behind the Medica Healthy Savings program, which enables members to save on America’s healthiest foods without having to clip, click, download, or print coupons.

The technology can be used for various applications including behavioral change initiatives such as healthy eating, and for retailer and CPG loyalty programs. For more information, visit https://www.solutran.com/S3HealthySavings.

About Solutran

Solutran is a Minneapolis-based technology company whose mission is to provide clients with innovative, reliable and responsive electronic technology and paper financial services. Solutran is a national leader in retail and pharmacy payments, consumer incentive payments, and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) payments. As the top back office conversion processor in the country, Solutran services retail partners such as Kroger, Safeway, SUPERVALU, Roundy’s, CVS and Walgreen’s. With 30 years of experience, Solutran is the leading processor of consumer incentives in the country. For WIC, Solutran offers leading-edge capabilities in both paper and electronic processing and currently serves 58 of the 90 WIC agencies. For more information, visit solutran.com or call 888.SOLUTRAN (888-765-8872).