Nutritional rating systems are methods of ranking or rating food products or food categories to communicate the nutritional value of food in a simplified manner to a target audience. Rating systems are developed by governments, nonprofit organizations, or private institutions and companies.
The methods may use point systems to rank or rate foods for general nutritional value or they may rate specific food attributes such as cholesterol content. Graphics or other symbols may be used to communicate the ratings to the target audience.
Nutritional rating systems differ from nutritional labeling in that they attempt to simplify food choices, rather than listing specific amounts of nutrients or ingredients. Dietary guidelines are similar to nutritional rating systems in that they attempt to simplify the communication of nutritional information, however, they do not rate individual food products.
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Glycemic index is a ranking of how quickly food is metabolized into glucose when digested. It compares available carbohydrates gram for gram in individual foods, providing a numerical, evidence-based index of postprandial (post-meal) glycemia. The concept was invented by Dr. David J. Jenkins and colleagues in 1981 at the University of Toronto. [1]
This is a rating system biased toward meat, poultry, seafood, dairy and nuts. It is a patent-pending system developed by consultants from Dartmouth University and employed by the Hannaford grocery store chain. The system assigns one, two, or three stars to food products based on the quantity of certain nutrients. Products with more vitamins, minerals, fiber, or whole grains get more stars. Generally, products with more saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, added sodium, or added sugar get fewer stars.
The system is biased toward meat, poultry, seafood, dairy and nuts because the nutritional value of these products are so low (based on the above criteria) that they would not receive any stars. Instead, the system puts these products in a separate category and ranks them relative to each other. The system does not communicate that these products have been separated or otherwise indicate their special treatment (although Hannaford mentions on their website that those food products are treated specially). [2]
Nutripoints is a system for rating foods on a numerical scale for their overall nutritional value. The method is based on an analysis of 26 positive (such as vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber) and negative factors (such as cholesterol, saturated fat, sugar, sodium) compared to the calories in the food. The overall Nutripoint score of the food is the result. The higher the value, the more nutrition per calorie (nutrient density) and the least negative factors in the food. Thus, the higher the Nutripoint score, the better the food for overall health. The system rates 3600+ foods including basic foods like apples and oranges, fast-foods, and brand-name foods.
Nutripoints was developed by Dr. Roy E. Vartabedian (a Doctor of Public Health) in the 1980s and was released to the general public in 1990 with his book, "Nutripoints", published in 13 countries and 10 languages worldwide. The food rating system is part of an overall program designed to help people measure, balance, and upgrade their diet's nutritional quality for overall health improvement and well-being.[3]
The NuVal™ Nutritional Scoring System www.nuval.com was developed as a direct response to America’s troubling health trends: rapidly rising rates of obesity and diabetes in both the adult and child populations. A team of recognized medical and nutrition experts — led by Dr. David Katz of the Yale Prevention Research Center — advocated the development of an independent and simplified nutritional scoring system as a vehicle to improve public health.
The effort is funded by Griffin Hospital, a non-profit community hospital and teaching affiliate of the Yale University School of Medicine located in Derby, CT, and home to the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center. The team worked for two years, referring to the most comprehensive science available, to develop the Overall Nutritional Quality Index (ONQI™), a patent-pending algorithm which converts complex nutritional information into a single, easy-to-use score. The ONQI algorithm is now the scientific engine behind the NuVal System, and together they are helping people make faster, easier, and better decisions about the foods they buy.
The NuVal System scores food on a scale of 1-100. The higher the NuVal Score, the better the nutrition. It’s that simple. NuVal™ Scores are displayed directly on shelf price tags, so shoppers can compare overall nutrition the same way they compare prices. Just look for the NuVal System’s double-hexagon emblem and 1-100 food score on shelf tags. Some of the country’s leading grocery chains feature the NuVal System in their stores and more will be launching in the coming year.
WeightWatchers developed the POINTS Food System for use with their Flex Plan. Healthy weight control is the primary objective of the system. The system is designed to allow customers to eat any food while tracking the number of points for each food consumed. Members try to keep to their POINTS Target, a number of points for a given time frame. The daily POINTS Target is personalized based on members' height, weight and other factors, such as gender. A weekly allowance for points is also established to provide for special occasions, mistakes, etc.[4]
Launched late in 2009, the Smart Choices Program was a rating system developed by a coalition of companies from the food industry. The criteria for rating food products used 18 different attributes, however, 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 as "Froot Loops", "Lucky Charms" and "Frosted Flakes" as Smart Choices. As a consequence of the backlash from the program, General Mills announced on December 10, 2009 that it would reduce the amount of sugar in many of it's cereal brands.
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