Discovery Vitality has announced a partnership with Checkers and Checkers Sixty60 for the Vitality HealthyFood benefit as of Tuesday (26 September).

In response to shifting shopping habits, the HealthyFood benefit is also being updated to give members the choice of an in-store and an online grocery partner with the chance to earn 75% back on healthy food items at both, said Discovery in a press release.

Commenting on the new partnership, Dinesh Govender, CEO of Discovery Vitality, said, “Discovery is delighted to add Checkers to encourage even more Discovery Vitality members to make healthy food choices.

“Vitality’s HealthyFood benefit has been rewarding positive behaviour change for almost 15 years. The addition of Checkers as a partner promises an even greater health impact,” he added.

Neil Schreuder, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Shoprite, said, “Shoprite is committed to providing transparent and unrivalled value to our customers.

“We are incredibly excited that Checkers and Sixty60 customers will be rewarded for making healthier food choices through our partnership with Discovery Vitality.,” he said.

“The rise of Sixty60 also means that consumers can now get access to healthy food on-demand, making healthier living more effortless.”

Grocery delivery has become wildly popular, with a marked increase in the number of households that use a combination of in-store and online channels to buy groceries.

This year, 34% of Vitality members who ordered groceries online did so at least weekly, a testament to the increasing reliance on online grocery purchasing due to the convenience it offers.

Additionally, almost 60% of Vitality members have different retailer preferences when they shop in-store versus online. For this reason, Discovery Vitality will give its members the ability to select both a preferred in-store partner and a preferred online partner to maximise their HealthyFood rewards, said Discovery.