Nutritional rating systems are used to communicate the nutritional value of food in a more-simplified manner, with a ranking (or rating), thannutrition facts labels. A system may be targeted at a specific audience. Rating systems have been developed by governments, non-profit organizations, private institutions, and companies. Common methods include point systems to rank (or rate) foods based on general nutritional value or ratings for specific food attributes, such ascholesterol content. Graphics and symbols may be used to communicate the nutritional values to the target audience.
Glycemic index is a ranking of how quickly food is metabolized intoglucose when digested. It compares availablecarbohydrates gram-for-gram in foods to provide a numerical, evidence-based index of postprandial (post-meal)blood sugar level. The concept was introduced in 1981.[1] Theglycemic load of food is a number which estimates how much a food will raise a person's blood glucose level.[citation needed]
Guiding Stars is apatented food-rating system which rates food based onnutrient density with a scientificalgorithm. Foods are credited withvitamins,minerals,dietary fiber,whole grains andOmega-3 fatty acids, and discredited forsaturated fat,trans fats, and added sodium (salt) andsugar.
Rated foods are tagged with one, two or three stars, with three stars the best ranking. The program began at Hannaford Supermarkets in 2006, and is found in over 1,900 supermarkets in Canada and the US. Guiding Stars has expanded into public schools, colleges and hospitals.[2]
The evidence-based, proprietary algorithm is based on the dietary guidelines and recommendations of regulatory and health organizations, including the USFood and Drug Administration andDepartment of Agriculture and theWorld Health Organization. The algorithm was developed by a scientific advisory panel composed of experts in nutrition and health fromDartmouth College,Harvard University,Tufts University, theUniversity of North Carolina, and other colleges.[2]
The Health Star Rating System (HSR) is an Australian and New Zealand Government initiative that assigns health ratings to packaged foods and beverages. Ratings scale by half star increments between half a star up to five stars, with the higher the rating, the healthier the product. A calculator uses nutritional information such as total sugar, sodium, energy and other variants to obtain a rating for the product. Points are added for "healthy" nutrients such as fibres, proteins and vegetable matter whilst points are deducted for "unhealthy" nutrients that have been scientifically linked to chronic health disease, such as fats and sugars.[citation needed]
Nutri-Score is a nutrition label guide recommended by theEuropean Commission andWorld Health Organization.[3] It is a 5-colornutrition label selected by theFrench government in March 2017 for display on food products to facilitate consumer understanding of nutrient composition.[4][5][6] It relies on the computation of a nutrient profiling system derived from the United KingdomFood Standards Agency score.[6]
A Nutri-Score for a particular food item is given one of five color-coded letters, with 'A' (enlarged letter, dark green) as a score indicating excellent nutrient composition, and 'E' (dark orange) as a low-rated, nutrient-poor score.[6] The calculation of the score involves seven different parameters of nutrient content per 100 g of food typically displayed on food packages.[6] High content offruits and vegetables,dietary fiber, andprotein promote a higher score, while high content ofcalories,sugar,saturated fat, andsodium promote a detrimental score.[6]
NutrInform is an Italian alternative to Nutri-Score, backed by the country'sMinistry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies.[7][8]
Nutripoints[9] is a food-rating system which places foods on a numerical scale based on their overall nutritional value. The method is based on an analysis of 26 positive factors (such as vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber) and negative factors (such as cholesterol, saturated fat, sugar and sodium) relative to calories. The Nutripoint score of the food is the result. The higher the value, the more nutrition per calorie (nutrient-dense) and the fewest negative factors exist in the food.[citation needed]
Nutripoints was developed byDoctor of Public Health Roy E. Vartabedian during the 1980s and was released in 1990 with his book,Nutripoints, which was published in thirteen countries in ten languages. The food-rating system is part of a program to help people measure, balance, and upgrade their diet for improvement in well-being.[10] The system rates over 3,600 foods, from apples and oranges to fast foods and brand-name products.[citation needed]
WeightWatchers developed the Points Food System for use with its Flex Plan. The system's primary objective is to maintain a healthy weight and to track weight loss or gain over time. It is designed to allow users to eat any food, tracking the number of points for each food consumed.
Members try to keep to their points target for a given time within a given range, which is personalized based on the member's height, weight and other factors (such as gender). A weekly points allowance is established to provide for special occasions and occasional overindulgences.[11]
Developed byAdam Drewnowski of the University of Washington, the Naturally Nutrient Rich system is based on mean-percentageDaily Values for 14 nutrients in food with 2,000 calories. It proposes to assign nutrient-density values to foods within and acrossfood groups. The score allows consumers to identify and select nutrient-dense foods, permitting flexibility in discretionary calories consumed.[12]
Theoverall nutritional quality index was a nutritional-rating system developed at theYale-Griffin Prevention Research Center.[13] It assigned foods a score between 1 and 100 which reflected overall nutrition relative to calories consumed.[14] Marketed as NuVal, it was widely adopted inUnited States grocery stores before it was discontinued in 2017[14][13] amid accusations of conflicts of interest and for its refusal to publish the scoringalgorithm.[15] Scoring inconsistencies occurred, in which processed foods scored higher than cannedfruits andvegetables.[15]
Launched late in 2009, the Smart Choices Program (SCP)[16] was a rating system developed by a coalition of companies from the food industry. The criteria for rating food products used 18 different attributes. The system had varying levels of acceptability based on 16 types of food which allowed for wide discretion in the selection of foods to include in the program. The program was discontinued in October 2009 after sharp criticism for including products such asFroot Loops,Lucky Charms, andFrosted Flakes as Smart Choices.[17][18]
On August 19, 2009, the FDA wrote a letter to SCP manager saying: "FDA and FSIS would be concerned if any FOP labeling systems used criteria that were not stringent enough to protect consumers against misleading claims, were inconsistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, or had the effect of encouraging consumers to choose highly processed foods and refined grains instead of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains."[19] SCP was suspended in 2009 after the FDA's announcement that they will be addressing both on front-of- package and on-shelf systems. SCP Chair Mike Hughes said: "It is more appropriate to postpone active operations and channel our information and learning to the agency to support their initiative."[20]
