Guiding Stars is an evidence-based nutrition guidance program that assesses nutrient density and ingredients of foods and beverages. Today, Guiding Stars updated its algorithm, the transparent formula it uses to score foods and beverages and assign Star ratings. Integrity and relevancy are critical to the success of the Guiding Stars and its objective, science-based standards. These updates make the program more effective at guiding consumers toward nutritious options. It also enables consumer packaged goods companies, manufacturers, and retailers to meet evolving nutrition standards.
Guiding Stars relies on the expertise of its independent Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) to review and respond to evolving scientific evidence. After a thorough review, the SAP decided to make the following updates:
- Expand live active cultures credit to all algorithms
- Begin evaluating unprepared coffee and tea
- Align additives to limit debit across all algorithms
- Include more added sodium ingredient keywords
Expanded Guidance
To better guide consumers towards products that support optimal health, the Guiding Stars SAP made the decision to evaluate unprepared coffee and tea, which were previously exempt from the program. This change aligns guidance with ready-to-drink options in this category and supports shoppers in choosing more nutritious beverage options.
The yogurt aisle will also see expanded guidance due to the addition of a credit for foods containing live and active cultures. An FDA update for the standard of identity of yogurt enabled the labeling transparency needed for this credit expansion.
Consistency Across Algorithms
The additives to limit debit is now consistent across all algorithms. The additives to limit list includes ingredients such as artificial colors and flavors, synthetic non-nutritive sweeteners, chemical preservatives, sugar alcohols, and other additives to limit that are more commonly found in highly processed foods. Products that contain one additive to limit ingredient are debited, but still eligible to earn Guiding Stars. Products that contain two or more additives to limit ingredients are ineligible from earning Guiding Stars.
The added sodium keyword list has also been updated to better capture added sodium in products. The keywords prompt a debit based on sodium declared on the label.
Impact on Guidance at Participating Grocery Stores
As a result of the live active cultures credit update:
- Whole fat plain yogurt and lightly sweetened yogurts will now earn Stars
- Approximately 24% of yogurts currently earn Stars and with this change 35% will earn Stars
As a result of the new evaluation process for unprepared coffee and tea:
- Unprepared coffee and teas that are unsweetened and without additives to limit will now earn Stars
As a result of the additives to limit debit update:
- There is one additives to limit ingredient keyword list for all Guiding Stars algorithms. This enables better alignment for consumer packaged goods companies, manufacturers, and retailers.
- Cereal, prepared foods, breads, yogurts, tortillas, snack foods, and canned products categories were impacted.
As a result of the added sodium debit update:
- Baking mix, half and half, crab, liquid egg substitute, pretzels, and lattes categories were impacted.
Learn More
You can learn more about the Science Behind the Stars by accessing the White Paper that details the Guiding Stars algorithm.
About Guiding Stars
Guiding Stars is an objective, evidence-based, nutrition guidance program. Since 2006, it has helped millions of consumers make more nutritious choices, making a positive and lasting impact on public health. The program evaluates foods and beverages when products meet its standard for nutritional value, Stars are awarded to indicate good, better, and best nutrition to give consumers simple and easy to understand advice: the more Stars a food earns, the more nutritious it is. The Guiding Stars algorithms includes only nutrients that have been researched to the extent that a scientific consensus has been reached and for which the knowledge has been translated into USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans or nutrition policy at either the national or international level. Guiding Stars is currently in more than 2,000 grocery stores, including all Food Lion, Giant Food, The GIANT Company, Hannaford, and Stop & Shop stores. Guiding Stars can also be found in Circana’s Attribute Marketplace, public schools, universities, corporate and hospital dining facilities, non-profit hunger relief organizations, and is accessible through the Guiding Stars Food Finder app for iOS and Android devices. To learn more about the Guiding Stars program, visit www.guidingstars.com.