Loblaw introduces an innovative program to help shoppers make healthier choices
31 July 2012 - 5:19AM
PR Newswire (Canada)
Exclusive nutritional rating program, Guiding Stars(®,) available
in Ontario Loblaws(®) stores BRAMPTON, ON, Aug. 3, 2012 /CNW/ - -
Starting August 10, customers at Loblaws(®) stores in Ontario will
have a faster, easier way to make healthier food choices when
shopping for groceries for their family. Loblaw Companies
Limited (Loblaw) is the first Canadian grocery retailer to launch
Guiding Stars(®), an objective, nutrition navigation program,
providing at-a-glance nutritional ratings for foods found in every
store aisle. The Guiding Stars(®) program is designed to complement
existing nutritional data such as the nutrition facts table,
on-package product labels, and Canada's Food Guide to Healthy
Eating. The program scores food based on nutrient density
using an objective scientific algorithm grounded in the most
current dietary guidelines and recommendations of national
regulatory and health organizations. Products are scored on a
credit and debit system where foods acquire stars for containing
more vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, whole grains, and omega-3
fats and are debited for containing saturated fat, trans fat, added
sodium, or added sugars. Products can earn up to three stars and
these ratings are displayed on easily identifiable shelf tags for
products in store. Foods with fewer than five calories per serving
like bottled water, tea, and spices, are not rated. If a food has
been rated and has no stars, it did not meet the criteria for a
Guiding Star. "Guiding Stars has strength in its consumer-friendly
translation of current dietary recommendations that are based on
science," said Alison Duncan, professor, Human Health and
Nutritional Sciences at the University of Guelph and a member of
the scientific advisory panel for Guiding Stars(®). "This means
that consumers can rely on the Guiding Stars program to provide
them with quick and accurate guidance about the nutritional quality
of the food choices they are making." A national online poll
conducted by Vision Critical for Loblaw revealed that almost seven
out of ten (67%) Canadians are making healthier food choices, but
that confusion about food labels is a barrier for many Canadians
(60%) in achieving a healthier diet*. Recent in-store research from
the first phase of Guiding Stars(®) in the Greater Toronto Area
showed that eight in ten customers liked the program, considering
it clear and easy to use and offering helpful information**. "One
in three Canadians shop at our stores each week and we work really
hard to ensure we meet their priorities, including helping them
make informed decisions about healthier food," said Michael Lovsin,
senior vice president, Health and Wellness, Loblaw Companies
Limited, and a member of the Ontario Healthy Kids Panel. "Offering
in-store dietitians and programs like Guiding Stars are ways that
Loblaw is working to empower our customers to make healthier
choices." A registered dietitian is a regulated health professional
who can help make sense of food and nutrition. While 50 Loblaw
banner stores currently offer in-store dietitians year round, a
special Guiding Stars(®) Dietitian Day will take place at select
Loblaws(®) stores in Ontario on Saturday August 11 from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m. Customers are invited to visit the store on this day to
receive hands-on guidance from dietitians about the Guiding
Stars(®) program, discover great tasting healthier food options and
simple ways to prepare them. Loblaw stores offer a number of
healthier food options through the PC(®) Blue Menu(®) brand. The
newly-designed packaging of PC(®) Blue Menu(®) products makes it
easy to quickly identify nutritional benefits with plus (+) and
minus (-) symbols identifying the nutritional attributes of each
product. In addition to the broad range of products available,
Loblaw banner stores offer support for Canadians in their journeys
towards healthier lifestyles with initiatives like the in-store
dietitians program, President's Choice(®) Cooking School classes,
and partnerships with the Canadian Diabetes Association and
Hypertension Canada. For more information about the Guiding
Stars(®) program, please visit www.guidingstars.ca. About Loblaw
Companies Limited TSX: L Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of
George Weston Limited, is Canada's largest food retailer and a
leading provider of drugstore, general merchandise and financial
products and services. Loblaw is one of the largest private sector
employers in Canada. With more than 1,000 corporate and franchised
stores from coast to coast, Loblaw and its franchisees employ more
than 135,000 full-time and part-time employees. Through its
portfolio of store formats, Loblaw is committed to providing
Canadians with a wide, growing and successful range of products and
services to meet the everyday household demands of Canadian
consumers. Loblaw is known for the quality, innovation and value of
its food offering. It offers Canada's strongest control (private)
label program, including the unique President's Choice(®), no
name(®) and Joe Fresh(®) brands. In addition, the Company makes
available to consumers President's Choice Financial(® )services and
offers the PC(®) points loyalty program. About the surveys *Vision
Critical conducted an online survey on February 1, 2012 among 1,004
randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid forum
panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling
variability—is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been
statistically weighted according to the most current education,
age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample
representative of the entire adult population of Canada.
Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. **Vision
Critical conducted an in-store survey on July 5 and between July 11
and 13, 2012 among 501 Canadian Loblaws® shoppers at two stores in
the Greater Toronto Area. SOURCE Loblaw Companies Limited Image
with caption: "Loblaw introduces an innovative program to help
shoppers make healthier choices (CNW Group/Loblaw Companies
Limited)". Image available at:
http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120803_C4724_PHOTO_EN_16621.jpg
Loblaw Companies Limited CONTACT: Loblaw Public Relations
Department905-459-2500 or pr@loblaw.caOr visit www.guidingstars.ca
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