Guiding Stars® Announces Partnership with Bud’s Shop ‘n Save and Sebasticook Valley Hospital to Launch Nutrition Guidance Program

Hospital Will Become First in the Nation to Launch Guiding Stars This Summer

Guiding Stars, the world’s first store-wide nutrition guidance program today announces a partnership with Bud’s Shop ‘n Save to launch the good-better-best nutrition guidance program in their stores. Bud’s Shop ’n Save has three locations in central Maine including Dexter, Pittsfield and Newport.

“Guiding Stars will simplify the process of recognizing and choosing healthy and nutritious food through its star rating program, that is now being utilized by grocery chains, schools and hospitals throughout the country.”

— Dean Homstead, owner of Bud’s Shop ‘n Save

With Guiding Stars, each item in the store receives a zero-to-three star rating according to its nutritional value, offering busy shoppers a simple, at-a-glance tool to help them quickly identify foods that offer the most nutrition for the calories.

“We are pleased to partner with Bud’s Shop ‘n Save to help the community discover that it’s easier than ever to make healthy food choices,” said Katie Jones, client services and implementation specialist at Guiding Stars Licensing Company. “Guiding Stars is beneficial to everyone; from local markets who want to offer their customers better insight into healthier food choices or families who want to put more nutritious meals on the table.”

Guiding Stars utilizes a proprietary algorithm that is grounded in evidence-based science and the most current guidelines and recommendations of leading national and international health organizations, such as the FDA and USDA. The system is not intended to tell you what to buy, but rather directs you to foods that have more vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, whole grains and less fats, cholesterol, sugar and sodium.

“Bud’s Shop ‘n Save is excited to announce the implementation of the acclaimed Guiding Stars program,” said Dean Homstead, owner of Bud’s Shop ‘n Save. “Guiding Stars will simplify the process of recognizing and choosing healthy and nutritious food through its star rating program, that is now being utilized by grocery chains, schools and hospitals throughout the country.”

In addition to the Guiding Stars kick-off at Bud’s Shop ‘n Save, Sebasticook Valley Hospital (SVH) has announced that it will become the first hospital in the nation to implement the Guiding Stars program this summer.

“We are excited to bring Guiding Stars to Sebasticook Valley Hospital this summer,” said Victoria Alexander-Lane, president and CEO of Sebasticook Valley Hospital. “This is an opportunity to help our patients, visitors and employees make more informed nutrition choices with the help of a program that is already familiar to most food shoppers. We are working closely with Guiding Stars as they help us offer a visual rating system format for many of our food products and entrees.”

Over the years, the Pittsfield hospital has adopted a number of programs and policies to enhance wellness and safety. They include providing an ever-expanding range of health services, education, and screenings in the community, operating as a tobacco-free campus and recently receiving a gold award from the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) for excellence in employee wellness. The SVH community health division specifically focuses on improving nutrition, increasing physical activity and reducing the incidence of tobacco, alcohol, and substance abuse in the Sebasticook Valley region.

About Guiding Stars Licensing Company

Since 2006, Guiding Stars has been leading the way in helping consumers make nutritious food choices. 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 in more than 1,500 supermarkets including Food Lion, Hannaford, Bloom, Sweetbay and coming soon to Kings Super Market. Guiding Stars has also expanded into public schools and colleges, and appears on the Shopper mobile iPhone application.

About Bud’s Shop ‘n Save

Bud’s, located in Newport, Dexter and Pittsfield, has been a locally owned company since it was founded fifty-seven years ago and currently employs 240 people. In addition to being supplied by Maine-based Hannaford Bros. Company, Bud’s buys a large variety of local and Maine grown and produced products throughout the year. Also, the company and its associates are proud of their support of many organizations and events in the surrounding communities that they serve.

About Sebasticook Valley Hospital

Sebasticook Valley Hospital (SVH) is a progressive 25-bed critical access hospital in Pittsfield, Maine. It was established in 1963 by a group of community leaders. The hospital is an integral member of the communities it serves. SVH takes a proactive approach in helping people in the Sebasticook Valley improve the quality of their lives. SVH works with local businesses, schools, communities of faith, other healthcare providers, area organizations and private individuals to make the Valley a healthy place to live. SVH serves an area encompassing a population of approximately 30,000 people in central Maine and offers a wide range of outpatient services, including over 20 specialty services.