Food Nutrition Score Methodology

The Food Nutrition Score uses an algorithm unique to GreenChoice, which rates the nutritional value of food and beverages on a color-coded scale from 1-100. The higher the score, the greater the overall nutritional value of the product, per serving. The nutrients and ingredients considered in the scoring are based on the latest USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

• 70 – 100 Very high nutritional value

• 60 – 69 High nutritional value

• 50 – 59 Some nutritional value

• 0 – 49 Low nutritional value

The Food Nutrition Score is one of four science-based food scores that evaluate foods' nutritional density, ingredient processing, ingredient safety, and climate footprint and combine to make the food GreenScore®.

Food Nutrition Scoring Factors 

The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourages key nutrients for health to the general U.S. population based on their positive contributions to overall health. It also discourages excessive consumption of specific nutrients, based on potential negative health outcomes. The GS-Nutrition Score takes these nutrients into consideration by awarding points when a food or beverage contains nutrients encouraged by the USDA and subtracting points when a food or beverage contains nutrients discouraged by the USDA. 

The number of points awarded or subtracted is based on the amount of each nutrient a product contains per serving. Specifically, we aligned scoring with the Daily Values (DV). The DVs are reference values established by the FDA and indicate the recommended daily consumption of nutrients. According to the FDA, a food or beverage is considered a “low” source of a nutrient when it contains 5% or less of the recommended Daily Value (DV) per serving, a “good”  source when it contains 10% of the DV or more per serving, and a “high” or “excellent” source when it contains 20% or more of the DV per serving.1

We award points when a product contains 5% or more of the DV of a beneficial nutrient per serving, and subtract points when a product contains 10% or more of the DV of a discouraged nutrient. Moreover, additional points are incrementally granted or subtracted when a product is deemed a “good,” “excellent,” or “high” source by FDA standards.  

Positive Points

The following are the beneficial nutrients taken into consideration by the GS-Nutrition Score. 

• Protein 

• Fiber 

• Potassium

• Calcium 

• Vitamin D 

• Iron

• Omega-3s

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans also encourages regular consumption of healthful foods, such as nutrient-rich fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes. These foods contain beneficial compounds that are not included on a Nutrition Facts Label, namely phytochemicals. Therefore, our scoring system awards an additional 3-6 bonus points when a product contributes a significant amount (>40% by weight) of fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, or seeds per serving.  

Negative Points

The following are the discouraged nutrients taken into consideration by the GS-Nutrition Score:

• Saturated Fat

• Cholesterol

• Sodium

• Added Sugar

Other Scoring Factors

When available, information for scoring is pulled directly from a product's Nutrition Facts label and Ingredients List. When a Nutrition Facts label is not readily available (such as the case with certain commodity items such as produce), nutrition information is pulled from FoodData Central, the USDA’s centralized database for nutrition information. 

Food and beverage products are scored and compared based on the serving size listed on the product's Nutrition Facts label. When a Nutrition Facts label is not readily available, serving sizes are based on reference data provided by FoodData Central.

Predominant Data Sources

1. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020. Available at DietaryGuidelines.gov.

2. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. Available at fdc.nal.usda.gov.

3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Code of Federal Regulations Title 21. Available at https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21