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NuVal® Scores now Available at Select Tennessee Schools
Middle Schools Piloting Nutritional Scoring System
KINGSPORT, TN– Whole or chocolate milk? Soda or apple juice? Eating for better nutrition just became much easier for students in two local middle schools, as their cafeterias have now adopted the NuVal® Nutritional Scoring System, a unique and revolutionary way of comparing the foods we eat.
Starting this month, foods sold at the Ross N. Robinson and John Sevier Middle schools will be labeled with a “NuVal Score,” a number between 1-100 that determines how nutritious the food is; the higher the NuVal Score, the better the overall nutrition. The schools are piloting the scores after Wellmont Diabetes Treatment Centers received a $20,000 grant from the Tennessee Obesity Task Force.
Wellmont Diabetes Treatment Centers are carrying out activities associated with the grant in partnership with Wellmont Foundation, Kingsport City Schools and Food City. Food City currently uses the NuVal System in its grocery stores.
“Our goal is that after participating, students and their families are aware of the nutritional values of their foods and that they will choose the foods with the highest scores,” said Jim Perkins, director of the Wellmont Diabetes Treatment Centers. “The NuVal system is easy to understand – the higher the number, the more nutritious the food.”
In addition to having the NuVal Scores to help guide students to better choices, students will participate in educational programs about health and nutrition at school, and their families will have access to education about how to receive the best nutrition for their grocery dollars.
“Kingsport City Schools is very excited to be part of this innovative program,” said Jennifer Burleson, director of school nutrition services. “This program will encourage students from all angles to make healthy choices. NuVal is so easy to understand and is promoted in such a positive light that students, parents, and staff can work together in improving nutrition.”
Staff members at Wellmont Diabetes Treatment Centers believe the NuVal system is particularly helpful because it allows students and their parents to see the nutritional value of the food they buy at a glance.
Perkins said he believes the knowledge gained from having a food’s NuVal Score can lead people to make healthier choices.
“We know that chips aren’t generally good for you, but some are better than others,” he said. “You will maybe buy the chips with a score of 23 over the other chips with a score of seven. It may not cause someone to eat an apple over chips, but it could cause someone to pick the chips with the highest NuVal score.”
About NuVal LLC:
The NuVal Nutritional Scoring System is a unique food labeling system which ranks all foods between 1 and 100; the higher the score, the higher the food’s overall nutrition. NuVal® Scores can be found in participating grocery stores, where they are posted on shelf tags next to the product price and on in-store signage. NuVal® Scores can be found at Price Cutter, King Soopers, Tops, King Kullen, Price Chopper, Hy-Vee, Meijer, Brookshire’s, Big Y, Skogen’s Festival Foods, Food City, United Supermarkets, Mariano’s Fresh Market, Lowes Foods, Scolari’s Food and Drug, Raley’s, Robért Fresh market, Coborn’s, and select Giant Eagle and Metro Market locations. Visitors to nuval.com can find sample scores in a variety of categories. NuVal LLC is a joint venture formed in 2008 by Topco Associates, LLC, and Griffin