June 25, 2012

CONTACT:
Communications Department
(320) 251-2700, ext. 74980

NuVal® scores now available in all Minnesota Coborn's stores

St. Cloud, Minn. – To help Minnesotans improve their health and reduce rising obesity rates, the NuVal® Nutritional Scoring system has been implemented in all Coborn's, Inc., grocery stores throughout the state.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and BLEND (Better Living; Exercise and Nutrition Daily), a project of the CentraCare Health Foundation, will be working with Coborn's stores in the CentraCare service area on education and brand recognition to ensure consumers know how to "trade up" for better health. Stores include those in the cities of Albertville, Big Lake, Buffalo, Delano, Elk River, Little Falls, Long Prairie, Melrose, Princeton and Sauk Centre.

The NuVal® scoring system, developed by David Katz, M.D., director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, and a dozen of the world's leading minds in health and nutrition, gives food and beverage items a score from one to 100 - the higher the NuVal score, the better the overall nutrition. The system takes more than 30 different nutrients into account in developing a score. Food scores are displayed directly on the shelf, next to the price, making it easy for customers to compare, at a glance, the overall nutrition of the foods they buy.

The NuVal® Nutritional Scoring System was first implemented in eight Coborn's grocery stores in the St. Cloud area in October 2010. Positive results from the nine-month pilot project showed that implementing the NuVal® system in area Coborn's grocery stores proved successful in encouraging healthful food purchases. Therefore, Coborn's decided to expand NuVal® to their remaining 21 stores across Minnesota.

"It's great news that so many St. Cloud area residents are finding the NuVal® system a useful tool in helping their families eat more healthful foods," said Dr. Marc Manley, chief prevention officer for Blue Cross. "Blue Cross is pleased to be continuing this work with BLEND and Coborn's, because anything we can do to make it easier for people to eat better is well worth it, as the pay-off is in better health."

Learn more about BLEND

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