Aren't they cute?
A post yesterday at Megnut pointed out an article at the New York Times about a grocery store who gives star ratings according to the healthiness (or lack thereof) of food items. “The Package May Say Healthy, but This Grocer Begs to Differ” is a fascinating and balanced read. Hannaford Brothers grocery awards points for fiber and minerals, and deducts them for sugars and fats, awarded “Guiding Stars” to only 23% of all 27,000 food products in the store, including (in descending order of points) produce (94%), cereals (55%), seafood (43%), meat (24%), dairy (18%), soups (12%), deli (8%), and bakery (5%). A pear and Grape Nuts received three stars, for example and Campbell’s cleverly (and deceptively) named “Healthy Request” Cream of Tomato and Cream of Chicken Soup, not a one.
From the article: “At a time when more and more products are being marketed as healthy, the fact that so many items seemed to flunk Hannaford’s inspection raises questions about the integrity of the nutrition claims, which are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration — or possibly about whether Hannaford made its standards too prissy or draconian. Either way, the results do seem to confirm the nagging feeling that the benefits promoted by many products have a lot more to do with marketing than nutrition.” (Emphasis mine.)
Using more stringent guidelines than the FDA (hey, there's a start!), the Hannaford nutritionists might seem to be undermining their own efforts to operate a grocery store that is supposed to sell food. But the system isn't there to make bad guys out of anyone: they just want people to know what's really in the food they're buying. I think it's fabulous, and hope the model is adopted more broadly. (Unfortunately, Hannaford is trying to patent the "food algorithm.")
Go read it. Good stuff. (And when it's outdated, I'll have kept copies as PDF files, so you can still read it if you e-mail me.)
• • • • • • • • • • •
Any readers in Cleveland? Go read Michael Ruhlman's blog for an invitation to an all-pig dinner that is making me green with envy, just thinking about. Next Wednesday, a multi-course feast with wine, just $80.
• • • • • • • • • • •
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: “When you jump for joy, beware that no one moves the ground from beneath your feet.” —Stanislaw Lec
And yes, today I am jumping for joy.
Thanks for visiting.
Comments