Comparing the nutritional value of an apple with that of an orange is like comparing, well, apples and oranges. It gets even more complicated when choosing between a russet potato and, say, spinach.

To help consumers make such comparisons, a growing number of supermarkets are now giving shoppers a simple tool—a rating system—that’s separate from the existing nutritional label and any packaging claims.

One of the first such rating systems, called Guiding Stars, was launched in 2006 by Maine-based Hannaford Bros. in its 164 supermarkets throughout New England and New York. Meat, dairy, fresh produce, and packaged goods receive a one-, two-, or three-star rating—corresponding to a good, better, or best nutritional value—indicated on price tags attached to the shelves. Developed by a team of nutrition scientists and public-health experts, the formula credits individual products, not entire food groups, for the presence of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and whole grains and debits for added sugar, saturated and tans fats, cholesterol, and sodium.

More than 70 percent of Hannaford’s products that have been considered, however, received no stars at all.

Sales of products with stars are outpacing those without, some by wide margins. Starred packaged foods like pasta and canned soups have sold at 2½ times the rate of similar unstarred items while sales of breakfast cereals with stars have been more than three times higher than those without.

Another new rating system is also in the works. A team of physicians and nutrition scientists, including the president of the American Cancer Society and inventor of one of the first food-rating systems, the glycemic index, have developed what they call the Overall Nutritional Quality Index. The difference lies in ONQI’s 100-point scale, which better highlights small differences between foods than Guiding Stars, according to David Katz, one of its codesigners. His team hopes to launch ONQI in supermarkets across the country this fall and to offer an interactive online guide.

—Matthew Shulman,
U.S. News & World Report, 4/28-5/5/08