DISCUSSION
Will nutritional shelf labels drive healthier choices for low-income shoppers?
Written by RetailWire Staff
Photo: Nojaim Brothers Supermarket
Though the NuVal metric for scoring the healthiness of groceries has existed for some time, it may not have made the impact on the grocery scene that its proponents hoped. Even as the natural food trend continues to explode and consumer habits get more health-conscious, rarely does one see a NuVal number on the shelf. But a grocer in one neighborhood in Syracuse, NY is labeling items with the NuVal number as part of an attempt to get residents in economically disenfranchised areas more focused on health.
Syracuse.com reported that Nojaim Brothers Supermarket is launching the program in conjunction with Syracuse University, St. Joseph's Hospital and other community agencies to address public health concerns in the impoverished neighborhood that suffers from high rates of obesity, diabetes and other illnesses.
In the article, Rebecca Bostwick of Syracuse University's Lerner Center for Health Promotion indicated that shoppers will be encouraged to buy foods with a healthier NuVal number, although what incentives will be used is unclear.
NuVal was first launched in 2008, and is based around an algorithm called the Overall Nutritional Quality Index (ONQI). The ONQI takes into consideration the presence of 30 nutrients in a product and their impact on health to generate a ranking number. The NuVal website lists 26 grocers currently using the NuVal metric on their shelves. Many of the grocers are regional chains such as Hy-Vee, United Supermarkets and Cash Wise.
Ms. Bostwick acknowledged in a separate interview with WSYR that the shoppers who frequent the Syracuse grocer have limited means. She indicated that the goal is to encourage shoppers to make small choices within the same price point at which they usually shop.
Store owner Paul Nojaim went through the various Cream of Wheat choices with the WSYR news crew to demonstrate the big impact a small change in product selection can have for a customer. He showed that two varieties of flavored Cream of Wheat had NuVal scores in the twenties, while the plain variety had a NuVal score in the eighties.