Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 08:05 AM
Yesterday’s post was kind of like that Seinfeld episode when Jerry and George pitched their “show about Nothing” to NBC. I wrote about coffee – which we’re not scoring at NuVal. I didn’t really have a trade-up story to tell. It was a post about Nothing. But in the end, it sparked some great comments and questions from so many A Better Bag of Groceries readers.
One of my favorites came from Carolyn C:
Carolyn C with two of her three boys
“I would love to see how the generic label foods rate from grocery stores vs. the brand name foods. We often buy the generic food labels (because of cost), and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’d love to know what we are eating!”
Well, Carolyn you are not alone! According to the National Grocers Association Consumer Survey Report for 2010, 52% of shoppers reported that they buy store brands instead of national brands.
Just for the record, in the grocery biz’, we call store brand products “Private Label”. It sounds so secretive, doesn’t it?
Anyway, according to a 2009 study by A.C. Nielsen, U.S. private label sales were up 7.4% over the previous year. So, people are watching their budgets.
Unfortunately, Carolyn, my answer to you is kind of lame. The answer is, “It depends.” Sometimes, the private label product scores higher than the national brand, sometimes lower, and sometimes the same. One thing that I can tell you, though, is that the retailers who decide to implement NuVal in their stores are taking a very careful look at their private label products. If they score lower than the national brand, they are going out and reformulating their recipes so that they score equal to or better than the national brand.
Check out this pasta sauce example from Price Chopper:
You could buy Classico sauce with a score of 37…
or the Price Chopper brand, with a score of 81.
And look at the difference in price! You would pay 70 cents less for the product that has much better nutrition! I bought that Price Chopper marinara sauce and is was delicious!
Now, I know that many A Better Bag of Groceries readers are not so lucky as to have a grocery store near them that has NuVal on the store shelves. So, while you can learn a lot about National Brands here on my blog or on Trading Up Downtown, you are probably wondering how your Stop & Shop Nature’s Promise Whole Wheat Penne scores or how your Albertson’s 100% Natural Oats and Honey Cereal scores. Unfortunately, you won’t know how those Private Label products score until your store decides to implement NuVal.
I know many ABBGreaders are eagerly awaiting the day when their local store will implement NuVal. To speed things up, you can Suggest a Store on the NuVal website, talk to your local store manager, or get in contact with your retailer through their website.
In the meantime, if you are lucky enough to shop in one of the retailers that currently has NuVal scores on shelf (Price Chopper, Hy-Vee, Meijer, United Texas Markets, Kroger- Lexington, KY), please email me and/or send pictures about the stories in the scores that you are seeing.
NuVal Update:
Shoppers in Wisconsin get ready to celebrate. NuVal is coming to
Skogen’s Festival Foods! Read about it in Supermarket News
here. You’ll see scores on shelf in August!
There are also several other retailers who have recently signed on with NuVal. I’m just not allowed to tell you who they are yet. Stay tuned!
Starbucks Giveaway Winner
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Price Chopper, Private Label
Tags: Private Label, Store Brands
Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 06:48 AM
Hello Bloggies! It’s Trade-Up Tuesday a very popular day here on A Better Bag of Groceries where I blog about a Trade-Up I’ve made since learning about NuVal and I give away free stuff to one lucky reader.
Today’s GiveAway was inspired by my recent trip to Price Chopper. Whenever I have the opportunity to visit one of the retailers who has NuVal scores on shelf (Price Chopper, Hy-Vee, Meijer, United Texas and Kroger of Lexington, KY), I always take some time to roam the aisles and look for interesting products that have high NuVal scores. I always find something new and this most recent trip was no exception.
The Lucky Winner who wins this GiveAway will have all the makings of a lovely dinner, from appetizer to dessert.
First, the Lucky Winner will begin with tasty bruschetta.
Just spoon this Central Market Classics (that’s Price Chopper’s specialty store brand) Bruschetta on to some crusty bread and you are in business. Note that high score of 52!
Next, Lucky Winner will enjoy a delicious main course of chicken simmered in Central Market Classics Green Olive Tapenade (NuVal score of 57) and served over Central Market Classics Whole Wheat Spaghetti (NuVal score of 89).
This recipe idea comes from Price Chopper’s own Bill Drake, Merchandising Program Specialist. Thanks, Bill!
I suggest a nice, crisp green salad to round out your main meal.
In keeping with the spicy nature of this meal, Lucky Winner will finish out the evening with Lindt’s Chili Dark Chocolate which gets a NuVal score of 14. I recommend pairing it with some sliced fresh fruit to balance out your taste buds.
So, there you have it! While Lucky Winner will have to supply the crusty bread, chicken, salad greens and fresh fruit (those items would not travel through the US Mail so well), he or she will enjoy a delicious and high-scoring meal.
How to Enter:
Leave a comment telling me your favorite three-course meal (appetizer, main course, and dessert). Leave a 2nd comment with a surprising or interesting NuVal score (you can find some on this blog, on Trading Up Downtown, or on the NuVal site) and you will be entered twice! The Lucky Winner will be drawn at random at 10 am EDT Wednesday. Good Luck!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Price Chopper, Spaghetti, Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: bruschetta, tapenade
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 10:05 AM
This past Saturday, I got up extra-early and headed out for a long day trip to Albany, NY to participate in Price Chopper’s Healthy U Open House. While driving 6+ hours and working a fast-paced show in a supermarket on a Saturday might sound like no fun to some, I was very excited to go. Long-time readers of A Better Bag of Groceries can probably tell that I don’t just love my job, I’m practically addicted to it. Seriously, I was thrilled to spread the NuVal word to Price Chopper’s customers. I actually spent a lot of time in the aisles, helping customers trade up for better NuVal scores. It was a blast. Meanwhile, at home, my husband was shepherding the kids through a day that included ballet class, the Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby, and a bowling birthday party. Believe me, I got the better deal! I think he was more tired than I was at the end of the day.
Price Chopper pulled out all the stops to make this event a great success.
Customers came in and were greeted with balloons and a free re-usable shopping bag.
After that, customers were treated to free samples throughout the store.
Yes, that is pineapple dipped in dark chocolate. And yes, it was delicious!
The goal of the Healthy U Open House was to teach Price Chopper shoppers that they can choose to eat nutrititiously and it can be delicious.
So, we went to work teaching customers about how to use NuVal to trade up for better nutrition. Price Chopper shoppers are so lucky to have NuVal scores right on shelf. In fact, Price Chopper was first supermarket in the country to implement NuVal.
Price Chopper’s Senior Dietitian, Ellie Wilson, MS, RD and NuVal’s Manager of Nutrition Communications, Rachel Rodek, MS, RD, LDN, CSSD worked the NuVal table….
while I hit the aisles and helped customers trade up for better nutrition.
This mom was very happy to learn about Dreamfield’s pasta which gets an amazing NuVal score of 87.
She bought 2 boxes!
Wouldn’t it be cool to see this sign on your grocery store shelf?
I got to meet some great people, like the Chopper Shopper…
Jodie Fitz, who runs Price Chopper’s Kids Cooking Club and Dianne Fagan, RD, CDN, one of Price Chopper’s registered dietitians.
We wrapped up the event at 4 pm, and then I became a Chopper Shopper myself. I love to roam the aisles to look for new products! I know – I’m a supermarket geek.
But check this out!
I could buy Classico sauce with a NuVal score of 37…
or the Price Chopper brand with a NuVal score of 81.
Guess which one I bought? 
Also, I found that I could buy Old El Paso salsa with a NuVal score of 4…
or Price Chopper’s Coyote Joe’s brand, which gets a much higher score of 41.
That went in my cart too!
I could have stayed there all night digging into all the scores in the aisles. I learn something new on every visit. But it was time to hit the Mass Turnpike for the 3-hour ride home. I was tired, but I felt great knowing that I had spread the NuVal word to some Price Chopper shoppers. I love my job!
Winner of Yesterday’s Giveaway
Congratulations to Commenter #14 Kelley! You’ve won Linguine and Dark Chocolate. Send me an email @ abetterbagofgroceries@gmail.com with your mailing address.
Question of the Day
What grocery store would you most like to see NuVal scores in?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Price Chopper
Tags: Healthy U Open House
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 07:13 AM
Whenever I get the chance to head to a Price Chopper store (which, sadly, is not too often), I make amazing new finds! I always come home with bags full of new things.
My friend Joanna, who blogs over at Fitness and Spice, has the same experience at her local Hy-Vee in Nebraska. She often blogs about her shopping experiences, discovering interesting products with NuVal scores. Joanna even found this product!
I guess that’s one you only find in the Bible Belt!
Luckily, I was able to make two trips out to Price Chopper back in December. My son, the First Grader, had a half day so we had a “Go With Mommy to Work” afternoon and hit the Price Chopper store in Marlborough, MA. It was there that I found these amazing Pinto Beans on the shelf. Check out that NuVal score: 100!!! They were off the shelf and into my cart in a heartbeat. I do that a lot on my store visits. It’s so easy when I can see the scores! So, I stock up on high-scoring staples: canned tomatoes, pasta, pasta sauce, rice, snacks, cookies, crackers, etc.
I’ve used most of my high-scoring finds in my family recipes, but those Pinto Beans are still sitting on my shelf. What to do with them, what to do with them….
So far, my Google searches on Pinto Beans are leading me to sites like www.hillbillyhousewife.com. No, I’m not kidding. The Pinto Bean recipe on hillbilly housewife adds, and I quote, “2 to 4 ounces margarine or bacon or salt pork or 1/4 cup bacon grease.” Oh my!
I’m sure that you, my faithful readers, have some MUCH better ideas. Please bring them on so that I can dust off that can of Pinto Beans and make them into something yummy.
Anyone, Anyone, Bueller?
Cookie GiveAway Winner
Congratulations to Commenter #13, Sue! She is the winner of yesterday’s Cookie Giveaway. Delicious cookies are headed your way.
Now back to the Question of the Day
What would you do with those Pinto Beans?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Pinto Beans, Price Chopper
Tags: Pinto Beans, Price Chopper
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 07:32 AM
Last week, while the kids were out of school for Christmas Vacation, I packed them up, picked up my mother, and we drove over the river and through the woods (literally) of Rhode Island and Connecticut to visit my Great Aunt Ruth. After a lovely visit with our favorite Aunt, we decided to stop by Price Chopper in Putnam, CT on the way home. I’m so glad we did.
My mother has heard a lot about NuVal and is a regular A Better Bag of Groceries reader, but this was her first experience seeing it live on the grocery store shelf.
My mom loved seeing all the scores. She kept saying, “We need this in a grocery store near us. We SO need this in a grocery store near us.”
This was my 6-year-old son’s second visit to a Price Chopper store. It was amazing to see him now that he had a little NuVal experience under his belt. He knew just how to look for the scores.
This Rice A Roni whole grain rice mix, which scores a 23, was a huge improvement over the kind we used to buy. You can see my daughter jumping up and down with excitement behind the box.
The rice mix we used to buy, Knorr Rice Pilaf , only scores a 3. We stopped buying that kind when we found out that little fun fact. You can read more about my Mommy Guilt over that one here.
My son now thinks of himself as a NuVal Pro. He loved showing off his NuVal prowess to his little sister.
He takes the Big Brother role very seriously. Here he’s showing his little sister how the Whole Grain Macaroni & Cheese gets a better score than SpongeBob Macaroni & Cheese. Remember that post? The Annie’s Macaroni & Cheese that we found did not score so well.
No, you do not need glasses. That is a 2.
My son loved showing Grandma how NuVal works.
My mom quickly got the hang of it. She had fun finding new, interesting products to try. Here she found a green olive tapenade with a good score.
That’s when I heard her say it again, “We SO need NuVal in a store near us!”
Every time I go to a Price Chopper, I find new things to try. There are so many products out there, but the scores shed new light on products that I would normally overlook. For example, on this trip, I found a very high-scoring canned tuna.
I had no idea there was lower sodium tuna. As a busy mom, shopping with 2 kids in tow, I rarely have time to explore new products. Normally, I would just buy the same old, same old – like this albacore tuna in water.
Now I know that I can get tuna that scores an 81 instead of the kind I used to buy (which scores a 55). I made a nice little tuna salad and served it on whole wheat toast. Yum!
It was bitter cold in Connecticut on the day of our trip and I was crazing something warm. Usually, I steer away from canned soups because of the sodium content. However, with all the scores on the shelf, I found a couple of higher-scoring soups that I took home to try.
It was so cool to show my kids the scores on a Trade-Up we’ve made in our household. We used to buy Capri Sun Roarin’ Waters for school snacks. They travel well in backpacks. However, they only get a score of 10!
Sorry my picture is so blurry! It’s tough taking pictures in grocery stores!
I remember I was in a Meijer store out in Michigan on a business trip when I found Minute Maid Fruit Falls with a score of 41. I wanted to pack it up in my suitcase and bring it home!
That is a 41, by the way. It looks like the folks at Price Chopper just had a little print alignment problem.
After quite some time in the grocery department, we finally ventured over to Produce.
“Wow!” my mom said, ogling all the scores of 99 and 100. “NuVal sure helps you to put nutrition into perspective.” Yup, that’s why I call them “Incredible Vegetables.”
So, we finally hit the checkout, with about 15 new products to try in my basket.
We climbed into the car, settled the kids in with water (NuVal score of 0) and chocolate Teddy Grahams (NuVal score of 25), and opened up our newly acquired Kashi Dark Mocha Almond TLC Bars (NuVal score of 27). After our busy and cold day, I still had 2 tasks ahead of me:
- Drive home
- Help my dad set up his new Ipod
Hmmmm. Teaching my mom and kids how to use NuVal to choose nutritious foods in the grocery store: Easy. Teaching my dad how to set up and use his new Ipod: Not so easy!
Winner of the Granola Challenge GiveAway
Congratulations to Commenter #14, Crystal! She correctly rank-ordered the three granola products.
Bear Naked Fit Triple Berry Crunch gets an amazing score of 91
Bear Naked Peak Protein comes in at a 45 (wow, big difference!)
Kashi Mountain Medley Granola gets the lowest score with a 31
Crystal will be receiving a great granola care package in the mail. Thanks for all the great guesses.
Question of the Day
If you could have NuVal scores in only one aisle of your grocery store, what would it be?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Macaroni and Cheese, Price Chopper, rice, tuna
