Rating system helps shoppers easily identify healthier foods

    SCARBOROUGH – Guiding Stars, the world’s first store-wide nutrition navigation system, today announces a partnership with Paradis Shop ‘n Save to launch the good-better-best nutrition rating system in the store. Paradis Shop ‘n Save has six Maine-based locations in Fort Kent, Madawaska, Caribou, Houlton, Calais and Brewer. 
    With Guiding Stars, each item throughout the grocery store receives a zero-to-three star rating according to its nutritional value. Guiding Stars takes the guesswork out of nutritious shopping by eliminating the need to compare every item in the store, saving shoppers time and money.
    “Guiding Stars helps busy shoppers to quickly identify and choose foods that offer the most nutrition for the calories,” said John Eldredge, director of brand & business development at Guiding Stars Licensing Company.  “We are pleased to partner with Paradis Shop ‘n Save and be a part of its ongoing commitment to offer healthy food choices to their shoppers.”
    Guiding Stars utilizes a proprietary algorithm that is grounded in evidence-based science and 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 fat, cholesterol, added sugars and added sodium.  Food items are then 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.
    “We see Guiding Stars as a natural choice to enhance the shopping experience for our customers and offer them nutrition navigation at their fingertips,” said Pat Hebert, director of operations at Paradis Shop ‘n Save. “We are excited to welcome Guiding Stars into the Paradis Family Supermarkets, and we feel the program will make nutritious shopping easy, practical and fun for our customers.” 
    The Guiding Stars system was the first of its kind when implemented in select grocery stores in September 2006 in response to consumer demand for a simple, easy-to-understand tool for making good nutritional choices as they shop.  The Guiding Stars program is now on shelf tags and signage in grocery stores throughout the Northeast, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Florida, and has also recently launched the first nutrition rating system in a public school, MSAD 75 in Topsham, Maine, as well as Bates College in Lewiston, Maine and University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H.