The difference is greatest among packaged foods, including cereal, canned goods, bakery items and snack foods. Hannaford says those products
that received stars grew 2 1/2 times faster than similar items deemed less healthy. Only a few food areas, including seafood, showed no change.
Data suggests consumers are using the program. Star-rated frozen dinners grew 4 1/2 times faster than unstarred ones, and breakfast cereals with stars grew 3 1/2 times faster than other cereals. Among other findings, sales of star-rated ground beef grew 7%, while other ground beef declined 5%. Fat-free milk grew 1%, while whole milk dropped 4%.
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