As state, community and federal lawmakers consider or now require menu labeling regulations requiring calorie count information, a survey by nutritional rating system Guiding Stars has found that calorie postings alone on menus is not enough for consumers. As a result, the company has developed a good-better-best nutritional rating system for foodservice.
According to the survey, 65 percent of Americans prefer to see nutritional information through either the Nutrition Facts Panel (38 percent) or a good-better-best rating system (27 percent) over just calorie count (17 percent). However, the survey found that more than one-quarter of Americans (28 percent) found the Nutrition Facts Panel exhausting to read.
Guiding Stars has developed a nutrition navigation system is program that evaluates each recipe for its nutrient density and provides an at-a-glance, good-better-best rating of zero-to-three stars.
First launched in grocery stores in 2006, the Guiding Stars system has since expanded into commercial foodservice. The system credits all menu items based on the presence of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and whole grains, and debits for the presence of trans fat, saturated fats, 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, providing consumers with a more holistic view of the content of their food choices, versus calorie count alone.
The Guiding Stars Survey was conducted by Kelton Research between June 23-June 30, 2009, using random digit dialing of listed and unlisted numbers. The survey was fielded to 1,000 nationally representative Americans 18 years and older, and consisted of 484 men and 516 women.
