Guiding Stars Background for Business Partners

Guiding StarsGuiding Stars is a storewide nutrition navigation program to help consumers find foods that offer more nutrition for the calories as they make choices in each department of our stores. This program is proprietary and a patent is currently pending. Licenses to use the program in-store on or to use the brand and icon on labels are available. Please call 207-885-2734 for more info.

Based on a mathematical algorithm developed by an advisory panel of nutrition scientists and public health experts from leading universities, the program assesses data gleaned from Nutrition Facts Panels, ingredient lists and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's national nutrient database.

The advisory panel developed the algorithm for rating products from the existing extensive work in developing labeling practices and in determining beneficial nutrient levels by leading national health authorities, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, USDA, and other national and international health organizations.

To keep things simple, Guiding Stars displays 0-3 stars on product signage to indicate good, better and best nutritional value. If a product has 1-3 stars, it means that the product has:

More: vitamins, minerals, fiber, whole grains
Less: trans fats, saturated fats, cholesterol, added sodium, added sugar

If a product has no stars, it means that the product is not rated by this program or does not meet the criteria (outlined above) to receive a star.

How Do My Products Rate?
For more product rating information, please contact Guiding Stars at info@guidingstars.com.

Consumer Need
Extensive consumer research led to the development of Guiding Stars. Studies revealed confusion regarding nutrition-related information in the media, advertisements, on food packaging and on Nutrition Facts panels. Consumers indicated that they wanted to live healthier lifestyles and were seeking a convenient, simple way to shop for more nutritious foods.

All Hannaford, SweetBay and Food Lion Supermarkets participate in the Guiding Stars program, which has helped millions of consumers make millions of more nutritious decisions since it was first launched in September of 2006. The program is communicated to consumers via brochures, shelf talkers, flyers, bag stuffers, and in-store signs. Consumer inquiries are addressed via a toll-free hotline and E-mail. Much more information about Guiding Stars is available through Guiding Stars Licensing Company's new web-site at www.guidingstars.com

Further Guiding Stars information is also available on each of the participating retailer's websites.

See www.hannaford.com | www.sweetbay.com | www.foodlion.com | www.bloom.com