Shopping by the Numbers
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What is the Overall Nutritional Quality Index (ONQI)?
The ONQI is a food scoring system that makes it easy for consumers to evaluate the nutritional quality of foods, beverages and recipes at-a-glance. Developed by top nutrition experts, the ONQI uses the latest science to provide a single score for any food or recipe.
How is an ONQI score determined?
The ONQI takes 30 different nutrient factors into account when developing a score, making it the most robust food rating system in the market today. Factors included in determining the score for any food, beverage or recipe include: vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, fat, antioxidants and other nutrients found in that food, beverage or recipe.
What will an ONQI score look like?
Plans call for expressing an ONQI score on a scale of 1 to 100.
Does the ONQI identify “good” foods and “bad” foods?
Rather than characterize any food as good or bad, the ONQI provides a score that reflects the relative nutritional value both across food categories and within specific food categories, such as breads or frozen desserts. In fact, the ONQI literally lets you compare apples to oranges (and on nutritional value, oranges win). Because the same criteria is applied, all foods can be measured.
What’s the benefit to consumers?
The ONQI empowers the average consumer to choose foods on the basis of their overall nutritional quality with ease and confidence.
When will consumers see the ONQI in action?
It’s expected that the ONQI will be available through thousands of retail grocery stores – on product packaging and point-of-purchase displays – beginning in the second half of 2008. A list of product food scores is also expected to be available online.
How will I know where to find the ONQI?
Starting this Fall, consumers will be able to find out which stores, restaurants and products will be using the ONQI system by checking the ONQI Web site, www.ONQI.com. The information will be updated regularly, so consumers should check the site often.
100 Broccoli
100 Blueberries
100 Orange
100 Green Beans
100 Pineapple
99 Radish
98 Summer Squash
96 Apple
96 Tomatoes
96 Green Cabbage
94 Watermelon
93 Mango
91 Nonfat Milk
91 Grapes
91 Bananas
89 Avocado
88 Oatmeal
83 Blackberries
82 Sockeye Salmon
82 Raw Almonds
82 Brown Rice
82 Snapper
81 1% Milk
75 Shrimp
72 Couscous
69 Unbuttered, Unsalted Popcorn
67 Canned Tuna in oil
63 Vegetarian Spilt Pea Soup Mix
61 Instant Oatmeal
60 Canned Pineapple
57 White Rice
56 Sodium Free Club Soda
55 2% Milk
51 Scallops
50 Pasta
49 Canned Peas
45 Prunes
44 NY Strip Steak
43 Vanilla Yogurt
39 Orange Juice
39 Skinless Chicken Breast
36 Lobster
34 Dried Apples
32 Tomato Juice
29 Enriched White Bread
28 Whole Chicken with Skin
26 Raisins
25 Hamburger 75% lean
24 Green olives
23 Bagel
23 Condensed Tomato Soup
23 Peanut Butter
23 Sherbet
22 Reduced Fat Sour Cream
21 Salted Dryroasted Peanuts
20 Instant Chocolate Pudding
18 Fried Egg
17 Swiss Cheese
16 Diet Soda
13 Center Cut Bacon
11 Pretzel Sticks
10 Dark Chocolate
9 White Bread
7 Salami
5 Hot Dog
3 Milk Chocolate
2 Apple Pie
2 Saltine Crackers
1 Soda
1 Popsicle
