NuVal Medical Team Impresses Hy-Vee

CAROL ANGRISANI

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Hy-Vee, which is rolling out NuVal to all stores, chose the nutritional scoring system over other food rating programs because of its independence and influential medical panel, SN has learned.

“We liked it because it’s completely independent,” chain spokeswoman Christine Friesleben told SN. “There are no ties to any manufacturer or retailer.”

NuVal assigns a score from one to 100, based on a product's nutritional value (the higher, the more nutritious). Hy-Vee has tested NuVal in its Des Moines area stores since the fall, and is now launching it chainwide in 13 categories, including produce, fresh meat, frozen vegetables, canned vegetables, cereal and salty snacks.

Schenectady, N.Y.-based Price Chopper, meanwhile, is rolling out NuVal on virtually every product in every one of its 117 stores.

Neil Golub, Price Chopper’s president and chief executive officer, said Price Chopper has always been committed to helping customers make healthy foods choices. But NuVal takes it to a new level.

“Our customers will be able to understand the choices that they’re making through the scoring system simply by reading the NuVal score on each shelf tag,” Golub said in a statement.

Another reason Hy-Vee chose NuVal was that it rates all types of foods — not just those that are better-for-you.

“We’re not saying don’t ever eat another cookie” Friesleben said. “We just want people to know that the majority of the time they should be eating lean protein and fruits and vegetables.”

Located in Braintree, Mass., NuVal is spearheaded by Dr. David Katz, a nationally recognized authority on nutrition and weight control, and a team of medical experts including David Jenkins, inventor of the Glycemic Index.

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