Grocery Store Tour Leader Internship

Learning how to shop smart at the grocery store is a lifelong skill. Nutrition students lead their non-nutrition peers through Big Y in Amherst, teaching them how to understand the nutrition impact of the foods they choose.

The Grocery Store Tour Leader internship gives Nutrition majors a hands-on opportunity to practice translating complex nutrition information for consumers. Students are trained using a custom guide organized by grocery store aisles. The guide for each aisle lists need-to-know information on relevant nutrients for the foods in that aisle. The guide also lists the American Heart Association recommendations and USDA MyPlate guidelines as well as scavenger hunt ideas.

Once familiar with the guide and the store layout, Nutrition majors lead weekly grocery tours for students enrolled in Nutrition 130, explaining the health effects of foods found throughout the store. These tours strengthen public-speaking skills and boost confidence as students teach small groups of four.  Each hour-long tour reinforces key Nutrition 130 concepts through this mix of instruction and interactive activities, allowing the tour participants to fully understand how to interpret health guidelines with respect to the foods on store shelves.

Because the grocery store is “ground zero” for daily nutrition decisions, this internship provides a practical review of core nutrition principles at a level needed for future professional use. Students consistently report that the experience taught them how to explain nutrition information clearly and simply, a valuable real-world skill not often practiced in traditional classroom settings.

Learn more about our students' experiences earning internship credit leading grocery store tours of Big Y.