Stop & Shop Launches Guiding Stars® Nutrition Navigation Program

Stop & Shop is helping customers eat healthier and save time grocery shopping with a first-of-its kind nutrition navigation program, Guiding Stars. With symbols that are visible at a glance, Guiding Stars aims to take the guesswork out of nutrition by decoding labels into one clear rating. Available at all 410 Stop & Shop locations, over 9,000 products will feature the star ranking system that showcases “good,” “better” and “best” choices.

Guiding Stars is another example of Stop & Shop’s commitment to giving its shoppers the tools they need to quickly identify the food attributes that are important to them.

“We know that more and more of our customers are prioritizing nutrition, and in fact, our research tells us that over half of Americans cook at home because the meals are healthier*,” said Julie Hersey, MS, RDN, LDN, Stop & Shop Nutritionist. “Customers can find the products they’re looking for faster and feel confident that they’re selecting the foods that are best for their families.”

Consistent with national policies including Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPlate, the Guiding Stars rating will be shown on products based on the below system:

- 1 star means an item has GOOD nutritional value

- 2 stars mean an item has BETTER nutritional value

- 3 stars mean an item has THE BEST nutritional value

If no Guiding Stars symbol is shown, the item is either not nutritionally recommended, new to the program and hasn’t been rated yet, is less than five calories such as water or tea, is a dietary supplement or medical food such as baby formula or the product does not have nutrition information available.

The Guiding Stars program is a simple way to provide clear answers and speed up the grocery shopping process. “Label reading can be intimidating and time consuming,” said Hersey. “We’re thrilled to be giving this empowering tool to our customers to easily identify the products they want.”

For Stop & Shop customers looking to buy their groceries online to enjoy the convenience of home delivery, Guiding Stars will be featured on over 4,000 products on Peapod.com. Customers will be able to easily sort through products based on the Guiding Star rating for ease and convenience.