Kroger OptUp Validation Study

In an effort to simplify shopping and eating well, Kroger has created its own food nutrition scoring system, OptUP. OptUP nutrition ratings are calculated from 1 to 100 based on 100g of solid food or 240ml of beverage – the more nutritious the food, the higher the nutrition rating. Currently only available on Kroger’s website and app, shoppers can simply look for the nutrition ratings on each product page to quickly compare similar products and add better-for-you items. To ensure the information provided through OptUP® is as accurate and impactful as possible to its customers, Kroger seeks to validate and compare its food rating system against other science-based, contemporary food indices. 

The team at the Food is Medicine Institute will validate Kroger’s OptUP nutrition scoring system against the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data set, with comparisons to other widely used nutrient profiling systems, to elucidate weaknesses in the OptUP system that need to be addressed, as well as strengths that can be improved upon and emphasized. This independent validation research will serve to strengthen the use and application of both OptUP and food indices more generally to catalyze more nutritional food shopping and healthier outcomes for grocery customers. 

Aim 1

Compare and validate the OptUP nutrition scoring system, using the nationally representative NHANES database, against diet quality and health outcomes

Aim 2

Compare these results to other nutrient profiling systems including Health Star Rating, NutriScore, and Food Compass.