Confused by nutrition labels and ingredient lists?

You’re not alone. Despite the best intentions of the FDA’s nutrition labeling regulations, most consumers still can’t reasonably compare two similar products for their nutrition parameters. There are just too many variables – calories, fat, saturated fat, sodium, calcium, vitamin this , and mineral that.

Over the course of the past few years, manufacturers and retailers saw this confusion as an opportunity to provide simplified information that would help their customers buy better-for-you foods. More accurately, they saw this as an opportunity to gain a marketing edge.

What started out as one or two front of package labels, has turned into a cacophony of labeling schemes from almost all the players in the food industry.

It was no surprise then, that Supervalu, the third largest food retailer and distributor in the US, introduced a proprietary nutrition rating program, NutritionIQ, earlier this year. It was first deployed at Albertsons stores in January.

Now the food giant is expanding the program to 73 Cub Foods retail locations, mostly in Minnesota.

According to Supervalu,  preliminary data from Albertsons suggests that the program has helped consumers purchase better-for-you foods.

Further launches are expected this year at Supervalu chains: Acme, bigg’s, Farm Fresh, Hornbacher’s, Shaw’s / Star Market, Shop ‘n Save, Shoppers Food & Pharmacy.

What you need to know:

NutritionIQ was developed by dietitians working for Supervalu together with professionals from the Joslin Diabetes Center.

The system is based on shelf tags that call out the top one or two nutritional benefits of each qualified item throughout the store, for example (high in fiber, low sodium, etc..). The system does not point out the negative aspects of a product though. To be fair, some product categories are automatically excluded, such as soft drinks, cookies, ice cream, and baby food.

The problem with NutritionIQ, like many other rating programs, is an inherent conflict of interests between increasing shareholder value on one hand, and improving people’s health on the other. Here’s the reason: Read more…

The new year has ushered in a blizzard of new food labeling systems aimed at helping consumers make healthier choices at the supermarket. This week it is Supervalu, which kicked off nutritionIQ at its California Albertsons stores.

The color-coded, easy-to-spot shelf tags, or cards, are supposed to aid shoppers in choosing low fat, high fiber and other good foods. From the SuperValu press release:

The program covers 11 different nutrient claims in seven categories with the shelf tags color-coded as follows:
• excellent or good source of fiber are denoted by orange tags,
• excellent or good source of calcium by blue tags,
• excellent or good source of protein by yellow tags,
• low or healthier level of sodium by dark green tags,
• low calorie by a purple tag,
• low saturated fat by a red tag and
• whole grains by a dark orange tag.

read the full press release…

It seems that in the last few months, simplifying food labels has become a must for all grocery chains and manufacturers. NuVal, GDA, Nutritional Spotlight, and Smart Choices are recent examples. For more details, read our history of product nutrition labeling. While easy to understand nutrition information is to be commended, consumers may become befuddled by the tower of nutritional babel.

The new system has been developed in cooperation with Joslin Clinic, part of an academic medical center affiliated with Harvard Medical School.

What you need to know:

Supervalu should be commended for taking this first step, showcasing the more nutritious foods in the supermarket. But will they also place signs on foods that are really not nutritious? Don’t hold your breath.

As a supermarket that needs to sell more, not less products, don’t expect Albertson’s to post NutritionIQ signage with negative nutritional information. In fact, Supervalu does not even plan to apply the benchmarks to snacks or beverages, where there is no chance to find nutrition.

What to do at the supermarket:

Although nutritionIQ tags simplify things for shoppers, always check the nutrition label as well to learn about the nutrients to limit. Many times low-fat means high in sugar. But the tag won’t necessarily tell you that.

In general, it’s best to select products with short ingredient lists. Unprocessed foods are easy to find at the supermarket. Just stick to the perimeter of the store, where you will find fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy and low fat cuts of meat.

Don’t be let simplifications created by the supermarket or a munufacturer catch you off guard. Remember, they want you to buy more, not less.

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