Nutrition Rating System and Software Application Pair Up to Provide Healthy Choices on Food Industry Menus
Guiding Stars, the world’s first store-wide nutrition navigation system, today announces a partnership with Aurora Information Systems’ FoodPro® food service management solution technology to offer the good-better-best nutrition rating system to college and university dining halls and campus convenience stores across the country.
FoodPro is a foodservice management system used by numerous colleges and universities, including Guiding Stars’ partner, University of New Hampshire. The system’s nutritive analysis module analyzes ingredients, recipes and menus by nutritive components, and will include the Guiding Stars rating system to help schools and students identify healthier food choices. Each food item will be awarded zero, one, two or three stars – one star means good nutritional value; two stars, better nutritional value; and three stars, the best nutritional value.
“With so many options in the dining hall, Guiding Stars recognizes that college students can often have a difficult time determining the healthier food choices on campus,” said John Eldredge, director of brand and business development at Guiding Stars Licensing Company. “We are thrilled to partner with Aurora Information Systems and offer our easy-to-use nutrition rating system to colleges and universities to make it simple for students to find nutritious choices away from home.”
Guiding Stars features a proprietary algorithm that is grounded in evidence-based science and utilizes the most current guidelines and recommendations of leading national and international health organizations, such as the FDA and USDA. The system credits all edible foods based on the presence of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and whole grains, and debits for the presence of trans fat, saturated fats, cholesterol, added sugars and added sodium.
“Aurora Information Systems is committed to providing its users with 100 percent customer satisfaction and the healthiest menu options available,” said Jerry Cully, president of Aurora Information Systems. “We’re excited to partner with Guiding Stars and to add its easy-to-use rating system for college and university dining halls. It’s a winning formula because students across the country will benefit from this guidance system, making it simple for schools to provide nutritious food options.”
About Guiding Stars Licensing Co.
Since 2006, Guiding Stars has been leading the way in helping consumers make nutritious choices by pioneering the first-ever storewide nutrition navigation system. The Guiding Stars program is a simple, easy-to-understand tool for making good nutritional choices and is designed to make a positive and lasting impact on public health. Guiding Stars Licensing Company, based in Scarborough, Maine, creates opportunities for supermarkets, manufacturers, food service providers and other organizations to license the program and make nutritious food choices simple throughout the United States. Guiding Stars is currently in more than 1,500 supermarkets along the East Coast including Food Lion, Hannaford, Bloom, and Sweetbay stores. Guiding Stars can also be found in several public school cafeterias in Maine and the dining halls of University of New Hampshire and Bates College, as well as on the Shopper iPhone application.
About Aurora Information Systems
Aurora Information Systems is a privately-held software development and services firm specializing in back office food service software systems for over 15 years. FoodPro® is an integrated software application with modules for all major tasks in the foodservice business including forecasting and precosting, menu planning, food purchasing, production and inventory control, catering, nutritive analysis, point-of-sale interface, post cost reporting and financial analysis. Aurora’s FoodPro® is the industry’s leading choice for making the right decision at the right time for the right product. Food Pro is used in over thirty-five colleges and universities across the country.