Hannaford Launches Guiding Stars Nutrition Navigation System

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060906/dcw045.html?.v=70

Wednesday September 6, 11:50 am ET
First-Ever Supermarketwide System Will Help Shoppers Quickly Identify More Nutritious Choices
SCARBOROUGH, Maine, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Hannaford Bros. Co. announced today an in-store nutrition navigation system called Guiding Stars. Created to make it easier for interested shoppers to choose more nutritious foods, Guiding Stars is the first-ever storewide nutrition navigation program.
Unlike other systems currently offered, Guiding Stars is not limited to just store-branded products or just to packaged goods. More than 27,000 items in Hannaford stores have been analyzed to date, including all brands, fresh produce, meats, deli, bakery and packaged goods.
"It's not often that any retailer can say they're the first to promote a new offering," said Hannaford spokesperson Caren Epstein. "At Hannaford it's critical that we listen and respond to consumer needs as quickly as possible. Our research -- including more than 3000 Hannaford shoppers -- shows that our customers want to eat better, but are confused by the volume and complexity of nutrition information. Guiding Stars will help by giving them a simple way to make more informed choices."
The system features a symbol of a figure with one, two, or three stars, which is on food shelf tags throughout all Hannaford stores.
* One star = good nutritional value
* Two stars = better nutritional value
* Three stars = best nutritional value
The foundation of Hannaford's unique navigation system is a proprietary formula (patent pending) used to analyze food products and give them a star ranking. It was developed by a scientific advisory panel including experts from the University of North Carolina, Dartmouth School of Medicine, Tufts University, the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine, Harvard University and the University of California-Davis. The panel drew from its own expertise and extensive research from national health organizations. Sources included the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Academies of Science, and the World Health Organization.
The Guiding Stars criteria support the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 and serves as a quick complement to the Nutrition Facts label and ingredient list. Foods are credited for minerals, vitamins, dietary fiber, and whole grains and debited for trans fats, saturated fats, cholesterol, added sugars and added sodium.
Guiding Stars relies on information provided from the Nutrition Facts label and the ingredient list. If the food is not packaged -- like fruits, vegetables and meats -- the data comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Because manufacturers' serving sizes vary greatly, a consistent unit of 100 calories is used to analyze foods.
Many foods throughout the store will not have stars for one of two reasons: either the food doesn't meet the nutritional criteria for a star; OR the food is not rated. Some foods (e.g., baby food) are not rated because regulatory bodies have not established guidelines for these products; they are not a significant source of nutrients (e.g., coffees, teas, bottled water and spices), or due to labeling inconsistencies.
Hannaford Bros. Co., based in Scarborough, Maine, operates 158 stores under the Hannaford Supermarket and Hannaford Supermarket and Pharmacy names. Hannaford stores feature Hannaford Inspirations, a private brand line of more than 400 one-of-a-kind, premium-quality, great-tasting foods and Nature's Place, Hannaford Supermarkets trademark natural and organic foods department. Hannaford employs more than 26,000 associates. The company is owned by Delhaize Group of Brussels, Belgium. Additional information can be found at http://www.hannaford.com