Guiding Stars, the world’s first storewide nutrition guidance program, today announced it has received U.S. patent No. 7974881 for the Guiding Stars nutrition rating algorithm.
“At Guiding Stars, we continue to take strides towards our goal of directing the everyday consumer to more easily make healthy, nutritious food choices,” said Betts FitzGerald, managing director of Guiding Stars. “Obtaining this patent is a vitally important step toward demonstrating Guiding Stars’ commitment to innovation and transparency in the marketplace. This year marks the fifth anniversary for Guiding Stars. Receiving a patent at this time is particularly noteworthy as we look to the next five years of growth for our brand and our program.”
The Guiding Stars algorithm 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 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.
About Guiding Stars Licensing Co.
Since 2006, Guiding Stars has been leading the way in helping consumers make nutritious food choices. The Guiding Stars nutrition guidance program is a simple, easy-to-understand tool for making good nutrition choices and is designed to make a positive and lasting impact on public health. Guiding Stars is currently in more than 1,600 supermarkets including Food Lion, Hannaford, Bloom, Sweetbay, Kings Super Market, Homeland, and launching soon in Marsh Supermarkets. Guiding Stars has also expanded into public schools, colleges, hospitals, and corporate cafeterias and appears on the Shopper mobile iPhone application. Additional information can be found at staging.guidingstars.com.