09.01.08
A comprehensive rating system that measures a food’s nutritional value on a scale of one to 100 is set to debut in three major U.S. supermarket chains this month. The stores had not been named publicly as of press time. The NuVal Nutritional Scoring System utilizes the Overall Nutritional Quality Index (ONQI), which weighs more than 30 different nutrient markers through a proprietary algorithm. A panel of about a dozen medical and nutrition experts from leading North American universities and health organizations developed the ONQI over a two-year period. Factors involved in determining the score for any food, beverage or recipe include: vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, fat, antioxidants and other nutrients. The complex and comprehensive formula offers consumers the opportunity to evaluate products within and across specific food categories. A higher ONQI score reflects foods with higher nutritional value.
NuVal, LLC, the independent company formed to bring the system to market, is a joint venture of Topco Associates, LLC, Skoki, IL, and Griffin Hospital, home to the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and a teaching affiliate of the Yale University School of Medicine. The September launch marks the first wave of an education program that is expected to expand nationwide by this time next year. NuVal’s double-hexagon emblem, bearing the score of each individual product, will appear on shelf tags next to the price.
NuVal, LLC, the independent company formed to bring the system to market, is a joint venture of Topco Associates, LLC, Skoki, IL, and Griffin Hospital, home to the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and a teaching affiliate of the Yale University School of Medicine. The September launch marks the first wave of an education program that is expected to expand nationwide by this time next year. NuVal’s double-hexagon emblem, bearing the score of each individual product, will appear on shelf tags next to the price.
