Beginning this September with three major U.S. grocery store chains, a new on-shelf nutritional education program will help people make better food choices for their health. The Overall Nutritional Quality Index (ONQI) will use about 30 different nutrient factors such as fiber, vitamins, calories, and fat content to give foods a score for how healthy they are. The ONQI aims to make health food choices easier for the consumer. The score (from 1 to 100, with 100 being the best) will be placed on tags on the front of products in the stores so you can easily decide which ones are the best for you. For example, raw broccoli may receive a score of 100 while diet soda receives a 15.
David L. Katz, MD is the Director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, Medical Consultant for ABC News, and the featured expert of The Oprah Magazine’s “The Way to Eat” section. Katz worked with top nutritional scientists and health organizations to come up with the ONQI. I give Dr. Katz major props for coming up with an easy way for American shoppers to make the right food choices. Of course, the system won’t be perfect, but this is such a huge leap in the right direction. For once, someone is trying to spread knowledge instead of mask it! I can’t wait to see how the labels turn out and what stores will adopt them. I will jump for joy!
Check back on the ONQI website often and look for which stores and restaurants have adapted the ONQI system.
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I agree – it will be a wonderful teaching tool for consumers. Most folks don’t have the vaguest idea of the labels and what they really mean.
Too bad it can’t be mandatory.
Thanks,
Judy