Method and system for assessing, scoring, grouping and presenting nutritional value information of food products

Abstract

A method and system for presenting nutritional information about food products. The method involves gathering nutritional data about food products, analyzing that data to determine a nutritional value, scoring the product, and applying a designation reflecting the nutritional score. The nutritional value score designation is then displayed at the point of sale for observation by customers. The system includes a data gathering function, a data analyzing function, a data storing function, a scoring function, a reporting function and a display function to perform the steps of the method described.

1 . A method of presenting the nutritional value of food products comprising the steps of:
 a. gathering basic nutritional data for one or more food products;   b. assigning nutritional value and weighting to the gathered data;   c. scoring each of the food products based upon assigned weighted nutritional values;   d. assigning group designations based on scores; and   e. representing the group designation for observation by consumers.   
     
     
         2 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising the step of establishing an advisory panel of members with varied educational and experience backgrounds to provide guidance concerning health aspects of food products. 
     
     
         3 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising in the step of gathering basic nutritional data the step of standardizing nutritional data per 100 kilocalorie serving. 
     
     
         4 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the step of scoring includes the step of using an algorithm to calculate nutritional value based upon the weighted gathered data. 
     
     
         5 . The method as claimed in  claim 4  further comprising in the step of assigning nutritional value including consideration of the amounts of the following substances in the food product: trans fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, added sugars, dietary fiber, added sodium, nutrient density and whole grain. 
     
     
         6 . The method as claimed in  claim 5  further comprising including consideration of the amounts of the following substances: plant phytosterols, monounsaturated fatty acid, omega-3 fatty acids, live active cultures, nitrates/nitrites and phosphates. 
     
     
         7 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising the step of using group designations of one or more stars. 
     
     
         8 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising the steps of scoring and grouping food products of different brands and different suppliers. 
     
     
         9 . The method claimed in  claim 1  further comprising the steps of scoring and grouping prepared food products. 
     
     
         10 . A method for presenting food products for sale wherein serving sizes are normalized to allow comparison of nutritional information of products. 
     
     
         11 . A system to enable a business to present nutritional information about food products to consumers, the system comprising:
 a. a data gathering function to acquire nutritional data about one or more food products;   b. a data filtering function to determine the nutritional value of the acquired nutritional data;   c. a scoring function to assign scores to the food products based upon their associated nutritional values and assigning food nutritional value groupings based on scores; and   d. a reporting function to provide a visual representation indicating the groupings.   
     
     
         12 . The system as claimed in  claim 11  further comprising a function for standardizing the serving by caloric value of food products. 
     
     
         13 . The system as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the scoring function includes an algorithm to calculate scoring based on weighting of the nutritional values determined by the data filtering function. 
     
     
         14 . The system as claimed in  claim 11  further comprising an advisory panel configured to review and update the nutritional data acquired and the data filtering function used to determine the nutritional values. 
     
     
         15 . The system as claimed in  claim 11  further comprising a grouping designation function involving the use of one or more stars. 
     
     
         16 . The system as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the system is used for designating the nutritional value of all the food products in a store. 
     
     
         17 . The system as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the system is used for designating prepared foods.