September 9, 2020 – Guiding Stars Director Julie Greene was invited to speak on a panel with the Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Jerome M. Adams, and other top professionals in health and sustainability. The panel, hosted by The University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine brought these experts together to discuss how the food industry can help create a healthier and more equitable food system. Julie was the only representative of the grocery retail industry and spoke to the ways in which Guiding Stars both improves the health of the community and empowers growth of businesses using the program.
Julie discussed the multiple ways in which Guiding Stars helps build a better world. Improving health improves communities, and Guiding Stars makes it easier and faster to choose nutritious foods throughout the grocery store. Guiding Stars also helps drive reformulation and innovation to bring more nutritious products to the store in the first place, and supports the curation of displays that provide a better balance of nutritious options. Tracking and rewarding healthier purchases is also possible through Guiding Stars. Additionally, the program empowers donation of more nutritious options to food banks. Guiding Stars also partners with researchers who seek to improve public health through interventions that target healthier shopping behaviors.
Julie’s presentation begins at 53:24 in the recording of the full panel. You can also download Julie’s presentation slides (PDF).
During the presentation, Surgeon General Adams specifically highlighted on Twitter the ways in which Guiding Stars works to improve the world and the balance of nutrients the program evaluates.
And also learning about the #GuidingStars initiative by grocers to encourage healthier sales- because healthy consumers and health communities are good for everyone! pic.twitter.com/NGQmMLA8bT
— U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) September 9, 2020
The University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Health Incentives & Behavioral Economics published a summary of the full event. The summary includes presentations given by the other panelists, which include the National Salt and Sugar Reduction Initiative, Just Salad’s carbon labeling work, and a discussion of accountability in the food industry.