News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
DATE:
 July 31, 2013
CONTACT: Katie McKenna
kmckenna@topsmarkets.com

   
BUILD A BETTER, HEALTHIER PICNIC BASKET BY THE NUMBERS
Tops Friendly Markets and NuVal® Nutritional Scoring System Show How to Make More Nutritious Choices

WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. – The heat is on and Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania, along with the NuVal® Nutritional Scoring System, wants to help Western New Yorkers create a better, healthier picnic basket this summer.

Making simple changes to the contents of your basket can provide a more nutritious meal without losing the flavor of picnic fun. Tops and the NuVal® system can help shoppers do just that.

“Using the NuVal® system, shoppers can plan for a picnic at their favorite beach or park that still maintains common picnic basket favorites like sandwiches and snacks but with a healthy twist,” said Lindsey Zaffarano, Tops Markets community outreach coordinator for NuVal® activities.

The NuVal® Nutritional Scoring System, available exclusively at Tops locations in Western New York, helps customers find the most nutritious foods on Tops’ shelves in an instant by giving foods a NuVal® score from 1 to 100; the higher the score, the higher the nutrition. Scores are posted on Tops’ shelves and signs throughout the store, making it easy for customers to compare at a glance the overall nutrition of the foods they buy.

Here are some suggestions from Tops and NuVal® to transform your upcoming picnic basket:

Set aside the standard deli sandwich for healthier, yet tasty options such as tuna sandwiches or peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

Tuna Sandwich:

Chunky Sea Light tuna/water – 58 score

Tops 12 grain harvest bread – 39 score

Smart Balance Omega Plus Mayo – 18 score

Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich:

Tops 12 grain harvest bread - 39 score

Banana – 91 score

Full Circle Almond Butter – 56 score

Instead of potato chips or pretzels with dip, consider veggies with hummus.

Tribe Red Pepper Hummus – 48 score

Celery – 96 score

Carrots – 99 score

Rather than pre-packaged sweet treats, fresh fruits bring the highest nutrition and can still be fun.

Sliced watermelon – 94 score

Fruit sticks:

Pineapple – 99 score

Blueberries - 100 score

Strawberries – 100 score

“Selecting tuna or peanut butter sandwiches over the usual deli meat or sub sandwich option makes a significant difference, as the NuVal® System shows,” Zaffarano said, noting that the traditional sandwich on white bread usually contains condiments and cheese which bring lower scores on the system.

Zaffarano added that fruit and vegetable options are especially better choices, especially if your picnic includes children, and they help to avoid salty snack foods.

“Tops is committed to providing access to information and resources to help families live healthier lives,” Zaffarano said. “Shoppers in our stores can follow this easy system to help them make better food choices this summer and throughout the year.”

Backed by complex nutritional science, but designed to be easy to understand and use, the NuVal® System meets the needs of frustrated consumers looking for a better way to make more informed food choices and improve the nutritional value of their diets.

About Tops Friendly Markets Tops Markets, LLC, is headquartered in Williamsville, NY and operates 159 full-service supermarkets – 154 company-owned and five franchise locations under the Tops and Bryant's banners. With more than 15,000 associates, Tops is a leading full-service grocery retailer in upstate New York, northern Pennsylvania and western Vermont. For more information about Tops Markets, visit the company's website at www.topsmarkets.com.

About NuVal LLC The NuVal Nutritional Scoring System is a unique food labeling system that ranks all foods between 1 and 100; the higher the score, the higher the food’s overall nutrition. NuVal® Scores can be found in participating grocery stores, where they are posted on shelf tags next to the product price and on in-store signage. NuVal® Scores can be found at more than 1,600 stores nation-wide and the system itself was endorsed by the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM). NuVal LLC is a joint venture formed in 2008 by Topco Associates, LLC, and Griffin Hospital. For more information, please visit www.nuval.com.

 

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