Grocery shopping just got a lot smarter in La Mesa.
Frazier Farms Market has become the first grocer in Southern California to roll out GreenChoice’s evidence-based Healthy Shelf Labels and Shop by Diet mobile app, giving shoppers instant access to science-backed food health scores and personalized product recommendations where it matters most — in the aisle.
The family-owned natural grocer, with locations in Vista, Oceanside, and La Mesa, partnered with GreenChoice, PBC to launch the program across all three stores. For La Mesa shoppers, the new technology takes the guesswork out of reading labels and comparing products, replacing it with clear, evidence-based information.
At the center of the experience is GreenChoice’s Food GreenScore, a transparent 0–100 rating system that evaluates products based on nutritional quality, ingredient safety, level of processing, and climate impact. Shelf tags display the score alongside key health or sustainability attributes, plus a QR code that links shoppers to deeper explanations and better-for-you alternatives through the app.
“We’re really excited and proud to be leading the way in San Diego and Southern California with this food transparency initiative,” said Jazmin Zapata, marketing coordinator for Frazier Farms. “As a few of us have our own dietary and allergy restrictions along with family members, we know how important it is to be knowledgeable about what exactly is in your food, so we hope to make that clear with our customers.”
The Shop by Diet app allows shoppers to scan or search products and filter them through more than 70 dietary preferences, including low-sodium, heart-healthy, gluten-free, and low FODMAP options. Zapata said the technology is especially helpful for busy families who don’t have time to research every item they buy.
“We’re hopeful that it will help our community make healthier and more informed choices easier,” she said. “For customers who are too busy to heavily research each item they purchase, the GreenChoice science-based scores and food scanner app allow them to easily see if an item is right for them, removing the guesswork and going off evidence.”
Even familiar grocery habits can change with a little added transparency. Zapata shared that she recently reconsidered a go-to snack after seeing its score.
“I paused when looking at a regular snack I usually grab — a particular flavor of kettle-cooked potato chips — after seeing a lower GreenScore,” she said. “It made me compare other options nearby. Many items that looked similar on the surface had very different scores, and that pushed me to pick a product with better nutritional quality and fewer processed ingredients.”
For Frazier Farms, bringing this level of transparency to a local, family-owned store was a significant step.
“It’s very meaningful to us to have this available at our local, family-owned store,” Zapata said. “A lot of smaller chains like ourselves don’t always have the access or resources to bring in this kind of comprehensive technology. We just want to show our customers that we care about health and wellness, and let them have all the information when shopping.
She believes La Mesa shoppers will gradually change the way they shop as the information becomes more familiar.
“Yes, we do believe over time, with the information more readily accessible, customers will make decisions that are better for them and relevant to their own dietary needs and restrictions by seeking the items with a higher GreenScore,” Zapata said.
GreenChoice CEO and founder Galen Karlan-Mason has described the platform as fully independent and evidence-based, with strict conflict-of-interest standards to ensure scores are not influenced by food brands or retailers.
With the launch now live at the La Mesa store, shoppers can see the Healthy Shelf Labels in action and use the app while browsing. Photos showing how the program works locally have been provided by Frazier Farms.
More information is available at frazierfarmsmarket.com and greenchoice.com.co.
