The NuVal nutritional scoring system takes more than 30 different nutrients and nutrition factors and plugs them into a scientific algorithm. It takes nutrients such as fiber, folate, calcium, potassium and iron — or nutrients that have favorable effects on health — and divides them by nutrients with generally unfavorable effects on health including trans fat, cholesterol, saturated fat, sodium and sugar.

It also takes into account other factors such as the quality and density of nutrients, as well as the strength of a nutrient’s association with specific health conditions.

In an effort to help their customers make it easier to improve their health, the local Hy-Vee grocery store, along with other Hy-Vee stores across the Midwest, have begun a new nutritional scoring system on products in the stores.

The system, called NuVal, scores foods on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the score, the higher the nutrition.

Those scores, which people may have begun to notice in the store, are located next to price tags for many products.

Amy Pleimling, registered dietitian at Albert Lea’s Hy-Vee, said at the local store, a majority of produce, pasta, fresh meat, juices, snack crackers, cookies, oils, frozen vegetables, canned vegetables and cereals have been labeled. The store gets updates every two weeks and tries to get them on the shelves as soon as possible.

Once the score is set, however, that doesn’t mean it won’t change over time, Pleimling said. If a manufacturer changes its ingredients, the score will most likely change.

Where does the score come from?

The score, which was developed after much scientific research from nutrition and medical experts, takes more than 30 different nutrients and nutrition facts into account, the dietitian explained. Using a scientifically formulated algorithm, the system takes nutrients with generally favorable effects on health and divides them by nutrients with generally unfavorable effects on health.

After also considering other factors such as the quality and density of nutrients, along with the strength of their association with health conditions, a score is formulated, she said. The information for the score is taken off of a product’s nutrition facts label and list of ingredients.

People can use the scores to compare the nutrition of similar-type foods or even foods in different categories. Categories include produce, frozen vegetables, canned vegetables, meat and poultry, seafood, salty snacks, cereal, cookies, crackers and pasta.

The range of scores within each category varies, so what may be a high score in one category, may not be a high score in another category, she pointed out.

“It’s to help people make better choices over time and compare foods,” Pleimling said.

One example she shared of comparing foods was to look at the NuVal score for a regular can of green beans versus a can of green beans that is sodium-free. The sodium-free green beans have the highest score of 100, while the regular can’s score is in the upper 50s.

“Over time if you choose the one that was 100, it’d benefit your health,” she said.

Sodium and sugar can have a major impact on the number assigned to a product, she noted.

“Some of the cereals are quite a bit lower than one would think, and it has everything to do with the added sugar,” Pleimling said.

Cereals have one of the widest ranges of scores, ranging as low as four to as high as 100.

Though the scoring system doesn’t have all of the answers, it’s a good start to helping people recognize the nutritional value of the food they eat, she noted. People who are watching their cholesterol or who are diabetic should continue looking closer at labels.

She said she hopes people recognize the NuVal program is not really a diet system and there is no set score they should try to reach each day. A balance of foods across the different food groups is encouraged; however, the more people choose foods with high scores, the better their overall nutrition will be.

“I think people really find it interesting,” she said.

Anytime she gets questions from people about NuVal, she’ll promote a store tour, where she can take people around the store and show people the numbers so they can know a little bit more about it and start using it.

Informational signs explaining the NuVal system have also been placed around the store to help people grasp the concept a little better as well. The signs explain what the scoring range would be for each of the different categories.

“Hy-Vee is embracing the importance of health right now,” Pleimling said. “It’s important to have healthy customers and employees right now. This is a choice for us to help customers make it a little bit easier to improve their health.”

Everyone in the company has embraced it, she said.