Make the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice
Three-Tiered System
Hawaii’s Healthy Food Bank Guidelines are based on a three-tiered system: “choose often,” “choose sometimes,” and “choose rarely.” The three-tiered system is represented using the stoplight symbols of “green” (choose often), “yellow” (choose sometimes), and “red” (choose rarely). Many food banks and food pantries already use the visual stoplight coding to convey nutrition information because it is easily understood and interpretable across languages.
Food Product Categories:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Grains
- Protein
- Dairy
- Non-dairy alternatives
- Beverages
- Mixed dishes
- Processed and packaged snacks
- Desserts
- Condiments and cooking staples
Ranking Within Food Product Categories
Products within nine (9) of the eleven (11) categories are primarily ranked based on three nutrients to limit:
- Saturated Fat
- Sodium
- Added Sugar
These three less healthy nutrients were selected because extensive research links excess consumption of them to diet-related chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. This is consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), which recommend limiting consumption of added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium as part of a healthy dietary pattern. These nutrients are also easily located on the Nutrition Facts Label, simplifying implementation of the guidelines for staff and volunteers.
Products in two categories—condiments and cooking staples, and miscellaneous products—are not ranked. In addition, due to the importance of increasing consumption of whole grains, the guidelines use the ingredient list to assess whether the first ingredient in two categories—grains and processed and packaged snack foods—is a whole grain.
For reference, a one page summary of the HER Guidelines, as well as a chart detailing specific macronutrient levels for saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars in the nine ranked food categories is linked here: Healthy Eating Research Nutrition Guidelines for the Charitable Food System.
Choose Often
Choose Sometimes
