Guiding Stars Identifies Healthiest Foods in Grocery Stores Nationwide
PORTLAND, Maine, (October 2, 2012)—Guiding Stars, the first store-wide nutrition guidance program for rating food, and Midcentury Media, creator of the popular mobile app Shopper, today announced the release of an upgraded iPhone app that gives busy grocery shoppers instant access to Guiding Stars’ easy-to-navigate nutrition rating system right on their shopping lists. The UPC-driven app lets users identify the healthiest foods for purchase by providing simple star-ratings on nearly 100,000 foods and beverages, enabling on-the-go shoppers to quickly identify the nutritional value of foods on the fly.
The newest version of the Shopper iPhone app will allow mobile device users to scan the UPC of a food product in the store or at home and immediately determine the nutrition rating of that food within the patented Guiding Stars system. A 1 star rating means “good” nutrition, 2 stars “better” nutrition, and 3 stars “best” nutrition, while 0 stars means the food doesn’t meet the strict Guiding Stars criteria. A free trial version is available for new users. The full feature app will be available for $0.99.
“Healthier eating is a big focus for our Shoppers, so teaming up with Guiding Stars is a natural choice, with their user friendly system of rating foods found in grocery stores across the U.S.,” said Sean Flynn of Midcentury Media. “Together we make it easy for on-the-go iPhone users to build healthier shopping lists, locate nutritious foods in their local grocery store and share healthy suggestions with their friends.”
The Shopper app allows iPhone users to quickly and conveniently access the Guiding Stars nutritional rating system from anywhere. Some of the upgraded features allow users to:
- Browse and compare Guiding Stars rated food items within the Shopper app
- Add Guiding Stars rated options directly to a shopping list
- Gain a better understanding of healthy food and beverage choices
- Create multiple lists for specific stores or recipes and share them with others
- Organize lists to match the aisle order or layout of the stores where they shop.
“With nearly 50% of Americans owning a Smart Phone, we’re seeing consumers use their mobile phones for everything—even to grocery shop,” said John Eldredge, director of brand and business development for Guiding Stars. “We are excited to bring our entire database and rating system straight to their fingertips in an easy-to-use way. Whether you live on the East coast, West coast, or somewhere in between, the Guiding Stars Shopper iPhone app can help you navigate your local grocery store’s aisles and make more nutritious choices.”
Shoppers can visit www.MyShopperApp.com for more information, additional details and to download the application.
About Guiding Stars Licensing Co.
Since 2006, Guiding Stars has been leading the way in helping consumers make nutritious food choices and has received a U.S. Patent for the Guiding Stars nutrition rating algorithm. The Guiding Stars nutrition guidance program is a simple, easy-to-understand tool for making good nutrition choices and is designed to make a positive and lasting impact on public health. Guiding Stars is currently found in more than 1,700 supermarkets in 25 states, including Hannaford, Food Lion, Sweetbay, Homeland, Kings Super Market, Marsh, as well as Loblaw’s Supermarkets in Ontario. Guiding Stars has also expanded into public schools, colleges and hospitals and appears on the Shopper mobile iPhone application. Additional information can be found at www.staging.guidingstars.com
About Midcentury Media
MCM, a New York-based company is building the premier in-store mobile shopping assistant to help consumers decide where to shop and what to buy. MCM’s iPhone application, Shopper, has consistently been a top seller in the lifestyle category of the iTunes App Store, where it continues to delight consumers with a simple and intuitive interface. Shopper saves busy households time and money, while also opening up an entirely new targeted in-store communication platform for brands and retailers to connect with the consumers they serve.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Maya Zarchan for Guiding Stars
(781) 894-1739
mzarchan@sspr.com
Sean Flynn for Midcentury Media
(888) 816-8125
sflynn@myshopperapp.com