NuVal® in Schools
On January 18th, 2012, BLEND launched the NuVal® Nutritional Scoring System in the a la carte lines and vending machines at Sartell-St. Stephen Schools. This groundbreaking project will assist students and faculty to make healthier food choices on a daily basis. Although the system is in more than 900 retail stores nationwide, including Coborn’s grocery stores, Sartell – St. Stephen Schools will be the first in Minnesota and second in the nation to offer this revolutionary food scoring system to middle school and high school students.
Thanks to a grant from the Medica® Foundation, BLEND was able to develop a plan to educate and promote NuVal® to more than 2,000 students.
How NuVal® in Schools Work
NuVal was developed by an independent panel of nutrition and medical experts from leading universities and health organizations led by Dr David Katz of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center. This system, taking more than 30 different nutrients into account, gives food and beverage items a score from 1 to 100; the higher the score, the higher the nutrition.
At Sartell – St. Stephen Schools all NuVal® scores will be displayed directly on the price tags in the vending machines and a la carte lines, making it easy for students and faculty to compare the overall nutrition of the foods they choose. Currently, more than 145 items are scored with many more undergoing the “scoring” process. A tag indicating “NuVal® score coming soon” will identify items not yet scored.
How to Use NuVal® in Schools
According to the experts at NuVal® – “The best way to use the NuVal® System is to “trade up” from what you’re currently eating to a higher scoring product. Even the smallest jump in scores can have an impact on health.” In addition, students and staff are encouraged to “trade up” within categories. Students are not expected to trade their breakfast cereal for broccoli, but rather for a higher, comparable breakfast or cereal item.
NuVal® in Schools on the News!
KSTP News – Channel 5 – stopped by Sartell-St. Stephen Schools to report on the NuVal® in Schoolsl aunch. Read the report “Minnesota School Tests New Food System“. Watch the video!
NuVal® Blog – By Lydia!
Sartell-St. Stephen High School senior, Lydia Dullinger, is writing about her experiences with NuVal® in Schools. Check out her weekly “By Lydia!” blogposts every Wednesday on the BLEND Blog page. You can also sign-up to receive her blog updates directly to your inbox - suscribe here!
NuVal® in Central MN
In October 2010, BLEND worked in partnership with Coborn’s Inc. and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota to implement the food scoring system in eight pilot stores in the Greater St. Cloud area. Coborn’s, Inc. recently announced the expansion of NuVal® to their remaining 21 Coborn’s store locations across the Midwest.
