Unidine rolls out OHSOGOOD wellness program

Unidine Corp., the Boston-based food management firm that provides foodservice to more than 150 healthcare, senior living and corporate accounts, has introduced a new wellness program called OHSOGOOD.

According to CEO Richard Schenkel, the new program is designed to offer customers “an easy, quick and delicious path to a healthier lifestyle.”

“OHSOGOOD supports the health and wellness initiatives of our clients while delivering a variety of new, flavorful and satisfying menu options,” Schenkel says.

Jenny Overly, R.D., vice president of Nutrition, Health & Wellness for Unidine, says the program was more than a year in development.

“With our Fresh Food Pledge, which involves from-scratch cooking and a close look at the integrity of our ingredients, we know we were providing healthier food,” Overly explains. “But with a growing emphasis on healthcare reform and need to tackle the obesity problem, we felt we needed to take a proactive, rather than a reactive approach to wellness.”

The name plays off that proactive stance, she adds, by communicating a message that OHSOGOOD items are tasty, rather than healthy.

“We designed the name to be inviting,” Overly says. “When you put a tag on something that says ‘healthy,’ people can be turned off.”

The two major elements of OHSOGOOD are portion control and a good dose of “stealth health,” such as a macaroni and cheese recipe that uses pureed butternut squash in place of cream to reduce the fat content.

“With recipes like this, we can assure our customers that they are getting something that is better for them even if they aren’t looking for ‘healthy,’” Overly says.

Unidine is testing several marketing strategies for OHSOGOOD, Overly adds. However, she emphasizes that the most important form of marketing will be the program itself.

“In any program based on food, it’s important that the recipes speak for themselves,” she says. “All the marketing in the world won’t matter if the food doesn’t cause people to come back. So, we really took our time developing the recipes.

“Also, we make it clear to our client partners that this isn’t an add-on service. This is just who we are. OHSOGOOD is just different way for us to leverage our Fresh Food pledge.”