Apr 27, 2009 12:00 PM, By KAREN RAUGUST

UNTIL FAIRLY RECENTLY, THE SUPERMARKET PHARMACY was viewed as little more than a prescription dispensary. As mainstream retailers integrate wellness products and services, however, the department is taking on a much larger, and more crucial, role.

“It's rare these days that a supermarket opens without a pharmacy being a central department, and a lot of health and wellness programs are anchored in the pharmacy,” noted Cathy Polley, vice president of pharmacy services at the Food Marketing Institute. “All of our members are looking at complementary opportunities that bring together nutritional and pharmacy needs and help blend the customer's food-drug choices.”

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