As the end of the year approaches, it’s time to look back and review highlights from 2018. We’ve gone through our content and news this year to bring you a list of noteworthy items. Thanks for following and engaging with us throughout this year and in the year ahead.
Beef Stew with Fennel & Shallots
This stew became a new team favorite and has been growing in popularity. If you like beef stew, it's worth a taste!
View recipe »Four Grocery Brands Launched Guiding Stars
On April 6, four more grocery brands launched the Guiding Stars nutrition navigation program. This expanded access to the program for customers in local East Coast markets and to online shoppers. The brands include Giant Food, Giant/Martin’s, Stop & Shop, and Peapod, the country’s largest online grocery retailer. This increases our coverage to almost 2,000 stores in the U.S. Read our press release to learn more.
Algorithm Update for U.S. Foods
In February, we updated our patented algorithm for U.S. foods to reflect nutrition science evolution and changes to the Nutrition Facts Label and the FDA’s Daily Values. The update to the formula we use to assign stars to foods was to reflect the following changes: incorporate anticipated changes to the Nutrition Facts label; align with updated recommended Daily Values (DV) for vitamins, minerals, sodium, and fiber; and to reflect consensus of nutrition science regarding omega-3 fatty acids, DHA, EPA, and artificial colors. Read our press release to learn more.
Watch Kit & Alli’s 30-minute Behind the Changing Stars webinar to learn more about the rationale for this algorithm change.
Our Team Grew
The Guiding Stars team also expanded in 2018. We were excited to bring additional staff on to support the program and our partners. Read more about our team and their diverse knowledge and backgrounds here.
Free Webinars Continue
Our most popular webinar in 2018 was Sugar Shake-Up: Examining Sugar’s Status in the Food Industry. Continuing Professional Education credit is still available for dietitians and diet technicians that watch the recording. To see our other CPE-eligible webinars visit here.
Are you interested in exploring popular commercial weight loss diets and understanding what makes them so attractive to the mainstream population? Register for our upcoming webinar, Weighing in on Weight-Loss Diets: What does the Science Say?, on Wednesday, January 30, 2019 at 2:00 PM ET. Continuing Professional Education credit will be offered for dietitians and diet technicians that attend.
More Recipes Available, Including a New Favorite
We added many more delicious and star earning recipes to our website in 2018. One of our favorite recipes that we added this year is Beef Stew with Fennel and Shallots. A Guiding Stars team member remarked after taste testing that it may possibly be the best beef stew ever made.
Innovation Coming in 2019
We’re excited about our new digital and personal solutions coming later in 2019. Sign up for our newsletter to find out more.
Wishing you happy holidays and good health in the year ahead.
– The Guiding Stars Team