Think you know what's good for you to eat? asks Emine Saner

The issue of food labelling has always been a tricky one. The traffic-light system, introduced last year by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), shows at a glance the amount of sugar, salt and fat in a particular product, but so far it is voluntary for food producers, plus it requires some work and prior knowledge on the consumer's part. The food industry wants to keep the Guideline Daily Amount system, which shows the percentages of GDA of salt, sugar and fat each portion contains, but health campaigners say this is too complex. Early next year, a study comparing the two is due to report to the FSA. Meanwhile, in the United States a new system could change the way food is labelled for ever.

Dr David Katz, a nutritionist and the former director of medical studies in public health at Yale University, who now runs the university's Prevention Research Centre, is the brains behind the Overall Nutritional Quality Index (ONQI), commercially known as the NuVal system. The idea is simple - the higher the score given to a foodstuff, the more nutritious it is. So, broccoli scores the highest, at 100 (as do blueberries, oranges and green beans) while ice pops and fizzy drinks get only one point. Foodstuffs score high for dense amounts of nutrients such as vitamins and protein, but lose marks if they also contain baddies including added sugar, salt, saturated or trans fats. Lobster, for example, scores lower than tinned peaches because it is fairly high in sodium and doesn't provide as much Omega 3 fats as other fish. The crackers, which score a shocking two points, are "saltine" crackers, a generic American white-flour cracker with added salt, sugar and trans fat. "Empty calories," says Katz.

So far, three supermarket chains in the US have adopted ONQI, with another 15 to 20 companies planning to get involved next year. Katz hopes that it will eventually be used in up to 7,000 stores across the country.

Katz came up with ONQI when he and a number of other nutritionists were invited by the US secretary of health to submit one idea each to combat obesity. Katz wanted to create a single measure of nutritional quality and apply it to every food product sold in supermarkets (research and ONQI score allocation is ongoing). When the government didn't take him up on his proposal, Katz got funding to develop it from a local hospital (no investment from the food industry was involved).

"I have long been aware that it's all very well giving people advice when they come to see me, but it can be difficult for them to follow in the real world," he says. "You say to people, 'Eat a healthy diet,' or 'Eat a Mediterranean diet,' but nobody chooses a diet, they choose foods. You're in the bread aisle in a supermarket and you know that wholegrain bread is more nutritious, but you're bombarded with so many different types vying for your attention - 'fortified with vitamins', 'good source of fibre'. It is hard to translate all that into a good choice."

It isn't about following a diet, Katz adds.

"If I were to ask you to list three highly nutritious foods, you might say spinach, blueberries and broccoli. Does that mean you can only eat those foods and be healthy? No. The ONQI guides you towards the most nutritious foods in any given category, but the message of balance and variety in your diet is still relevant".

The good, the bad and the really unhealthy

Yale University's Overall Nutrional Quality Index (scores out of 100)

Broccoli 100

Blueberries 100

Okra 100

Orange 100

Green Beans 100

Pineapple 99

Radish 99

Summer squash 98

Apple 96

Green cabbage 96

Tomato 96

Clementine 94

Watermelon 94

Mango 93

Red onions 93

Non-fat milk 91

Fresh figs 91

Grapes 91

Banana 91

Avocado 89

Oatmeal 88

Atlantic salmon fillet 87

Blackberries 83

Cod fillet 82

Raw almonds 82

Iceberg lettuce 82

Raw pecans 82

Rocket 82

Brown rice 82

Snapper 82

Milk (1% fat) 81

Oysters 81

Prawn 75

Couscous 72

Clams 71

Raw pistachios 70

Unbuttered, unsalted popcorn 69

Canned tuna in oil, drained 67

Monkfish fillet 64

Vegetarian split-pea soup mix 63

Instant oatmeal 61

Canned pineapple in juice 60

White rice 57

Sodium-free sparkling water 56

Milk (2% fat) 55

Canned kidney beans 53

Milk (whole) 52

Scallops 51

Pasta 50

Canned peas 49

Prunes 45

Vanilla yoghurt 43

Orange juice 39

Skinless chicken breasts 39

Canned peaches in light Syrup 37

Lobster 36

Flank steak (beef) 34

Dried apples 34

Tomato juice 32

Condensed split-pea soup

with ham 32

Minced sirloin 30

Chicken drumstick 30

Enriched white bread 29

Whole chicken with skin 28

Leg of lamb 28

Ham (whole) 27

Raisins 26

Hamburger (75% lean) 25

Apple chips 24

Coconut 24

Green olives 24

Pork baby back ribs 24

Bagel 23

Condensed tomato soup 23

Peanut butter 23

Sherbet 23

Reduced-fat sour cream 22

Condensed cream of

broccoli soup 21

Salted, dry-roasted peanuts 21

Instant chocolate pudding 20

Fried egg 18

Swiss cheese 17

Diet fizzy drinks 15

Non-streaky bacon 13

Pretzel sticks 11

Dark chocolate 10

White bread 9

Salami 7

Hot dog 5

Cheese puffs 4

Milk chocolate 3

Apple pie 2

Crackers 2

Fizzy drinks 1

Popsicle 1

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