Surprising Stars Archives

Why do some potato chips earn Guiding Stars?

June 17, 2020June 15, 2020 by Garrick Brown

Potato chips are among America’s most popular “snack foods” and sales spike during the summer months. There’s no wonder why, unless you’ve never tasted a potato chip. They are the classic high-fat, salty snack designed to make it hard to stop eating once you’ve started. Most Americans recognize that potato chips are a food that should be eaten in moderation. At the same time, due to shopper demands, there are an increasing amount of better-for-you chip options to choose from at the supermarket. For this month’s Surprising Stars, I’m going to explain why some potato chips earn Guiding Stars.

Baby and Toddler Foods

May 27, 2020May 27, 2020 by Garrick Brown

The Guiding Stars algorithm for babies and toddlers reflects the specific nutritional requirements of children under the age of two. By selecting baby foods with one, two, or three stars, you’ll be feeding baby more vitamins and minerals and less added sodium, added sugar, and artificial colors.

Plant-Based Meat Alternatives

April 1, 2020May 28, 2020 by Garrick Brown

According to a 2018 Gallup poll, just 5% of Americans identify as vegetarian and 3% as vegans. However, there’s no denying that plant-based eating is becoming more mainstream, even among omnivores.

Fresh, Canned & Frozen Vegetables

March 4, 2020March 4, 2020 by Garrick Brown

I’ve led my fair share of healthy shopping tours. While walking through the aisles of the supermarket, I explain the Guiding Stars program and how it helps shoppers identify more nutritious choices. One of my favorite things to point out is that you can find the best nutritional value in fresh, canned, and frozen produce. I select an obviously nutritious product like fresh green beans then show canned and frozen versions in the store that also earn our best score: 3 Guiding Stars. If a tour group is focused on eating better on a budget, I’ll note the varying unit prices among the three forms. Through this exercise, I discuss some key factors to consider when deciding between fresh, canned and frozen vegetables. I also want to share those here, in our latest edition of Surprising Stars.

Why Don’t More Yogurts Earn Stars?

February 19, 2020February 18, 2020 by Garrick Brown

Creamy Garlic Pasta with Shrimp & Vegetables

If you have ever looked at the dairy case in the supermarket, you know that there are a lot of options for yogurt. If you were to shop one of our client’s stores you might be surprised by the lack of Guiding Stars-earning yogurts. This is not to say that their assortment is less nutritious than their competitors, but rather that the sweeteners added to yogurt have a negative effect on nutrient density. In fact, just 20% of yogurts earn Guiding Stars due in large part to added sugars.

The Bread Aisle

January 15, 2020November 6, 2019 by Garrick Brown

In this new blog series that we are calling “Surprising Stars,” we will address categories of foods where consumers find a different number of Guiding Stars earning options than they might expect. For our first topic, we are tackling the bread aisle.