Welcome! I am a mom of a busy 8 year old and an adventurous 6 year old. I also happen to work for a great company called NuVal. NuVal is a nutritional scoring system that rates foods on a scale of 1-100, based on how nutritious they are. We are implementing NuVal in grocery stores around the country.
NuVal may not be in your area yet. But I see the scores while they are "hot off the press" and because of that I am able to make better decisions about what to feed my family.
I am not a registered dietitian. I am just a mom who happens to work for NuVal. I am also an AFAA-certified Group Exercise Instructor. NuVal is a system designed to lead customers to the most nutritious food choices. It is not a diet or weight-loss plan. Before starting a diet, you should always consult your personal physician. The opinions expressed in this blog are the opinions of the writer and not the opinions of NuVal LLC.
This week, I was out at Price Chopper, meeting and talking with customers with my friend and colleague Ellie Wilson, RD. We were in the salty snack aisle, admiring Price Chopper’s beautiful new shelf tags and showing customers how to trade up for better nutrition when a product caught my eye. Wise Reduced Fat White Cheddar Popcorn. It had a NuVal score of 25.
OK, why was this oh-so-exciting to me? Well, my kids are Smartfood fanatics. They love the stuff. But regular Smartfood only scores an 11 on the NuVal scale. That’s below the average score of 15 for other salty snacks – and way below the average score of 21 for popcorn. (I guess it depends if you consider Smartfood a salty snack or popcorn!) In any event, my kids love Smartfood, so sometimes I buy them them the Reduced Fat version, which scores a 19.
I was curious about this Wise product with a score of 25. So, I did what any other Grocery Geek Mom would do. I bought a bag of each and brought them home and had a little taste test!
So, as you saw, my kids found that they tasted exactly the same. I can tell you that Audrey, our afternoon sitter, whose voice you can hear on the video, felt that the Wise brand was a little less salty. My husband seconded that opinion. I think adult taste buds are a little more sophisticated! But if my kids think that these two products taste exactly the same, why not trade up to the higher-scoring brand? A little less salt is good for everyone. Thanks to Wise for making a wise product. I hope I can find these on a store shelf close to my home!
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
Congratulations to Commenter #15 Lindsay from TheKetchupDiaries.com. You’ve won a nice bag of Starbucks coffee. Send me an email at abetterbagofgroceries@gmail.com with your mailing address. Thanks to everyone who entered!
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!
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.
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?
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.
The NuVal Nutritional Scoring System gives nutritional guidance to consumers frustrated with complicated nutrition labels and misleading packaging promises. Under NuVal, all foods and beverages are rated on a scale between 1 to 100. The higher the score, the higher the overall nutrition.
Awards
A Better Bag of Groceries was recently named by Medical Assistant Colleges as a Top 50 Blog for Understanding and Preventing Childhood Obesity. Hooray!
