Canada has a new partner to help consumers navigate the nutritional value of the food they buy. Loblaw Cos. Ltd., Canada’s largest national grocery chain, introduced a pilot program of the Guiding Stars nutrition guidance system in four of its Toronto-area stores. Guiding Stars has been implemented in a number of U.S. supermarkets since 2006.
Guiding Stars uses a proprietary nutrition rating algorithm developed by an independent panel of nutrition scientists to give foods a rating of zero to three stars. Information provided by Hannaford Supermarkets, a U.S. grocer, shows that the Stars drive higher sales of food items receiving stars. There are tentative plans for the Canadian program at Loblaws to be rolled out on a national scale next year as part of a broader health initiative.
Read the Globe and Mail article.