Consumer selection of foods offering more nutrition for the calories are outpacing selection of those that do not in many aisles of Hannaford Supermarkets, a regional retailer. In some cases three to four times faster. So reveals data one year since the company launched Guiding Stars, a storewide system the company created to help shoppers make more informed nutritional choices.

Guiding Stars, the system that ranks food items with one, two or three stars for good, better or best nutritional value, has led to decreased purchases of fattier meats, according to a news release from the Scarborough, Maine-based retailer.

During the first 12 months of the program, starred ground beef (90 percent or more fat-free) selection increased 7 percent, while ground beef without stars dropped 5 percent compared to the same period one year prior to Guiding Stars' launch. Starred chicken grew 5 percent, while chicken without stars decreased 3 percent. Movement of all meat and poultry with stars grew at more than 2.5 times the rate of those with no stars.

Guiding Stars, introduced in September 2006, has analyzed and rated more than 25,000 items in all Hannaford stores to date. The system features stars on unit price tags and is based on a proprietary formula that credits a food for the presence of vitamins and minerals, fiber and whole grains. Foods are debited for trans fats, saturated fats, cholesterol, added sugars and added sodium.

Hannaford operates 160 stores.

Reprinted from http://www.meatingplace.com