Background: Individuals newly diagnosed with diabetes find grocery shopping a daunting task. Little information is readily available about grocery shopping for persons with diabetes.

Objective: To provide basic information on navigating grocery store aisles in a convenient format.

Method: By partnering with a major store chain in the Midwest, a ten minute video was developed which provides basic nutrition information on label reading, nutrition tips and guidance to access appropriate resources for diabetes education and information.

Result: 100,000 DVD's titled "Shop Smart and Take Charge of your Diabetes" were distributed free of charge to customers at 158 stores in five Midwestern states. A random survey of customers who received DVDs will be conducted in early 2005 for evaluation purposes.

Conclusion: Partnering with industry for a diabetes awareness and education project provided the technical and financial support to develop a unique tool for persons with diabetes and the ability to reach large numbers of people through an established distribution system.

Learning Objectives: Increase knowledge of technical and financial benefit through partnering with nontraditional organizations. Understand how a picture can be worth a thousand words by imparting diabetes messages through an innovative and cost-effective medium.