The store chain, with 158 supermarkets in five states, is believed to be the first grocery retailer to have developed such a comprehensive assessment program, and it is trying to have its food-rating algorithm patented.
The Hannaford supermarket chain made the front page of the New York Times New England edition last November in a story about Hannaford’s innovative Guiding Stars program, to alert consumers, on a 1-3 star basis, to healthier foods. No surprise that more than three-fourths of the foods in the program — including almost all processed foods — get no stars at all.
I have to drive 30-40 minutes to get to a Hannaford, but I do it quite often because their products, from perishables to house brands, are top notch. I’ve found the Guiding Stars stickers on the shelves to be helpful.
What I most appreciate, though, is the follow through. Hannaford not only offers information about the program on its Website but also follows through in fresh, its bimonthly magazine, which is free when spending $25 or more. I don’t know about you, but I can’t escape a supermarket spending less. Unfortunately, not all recipes in fresh are available on line. The following recipe was only in the hard-copy version.
I’ve never used baking mixes much. Between the fat and then trans fat and the simplicity of making biscuits and pancakes from scratch, they seemed unnecessary. When I spotted an interesting recipe that uses baking mix, I remembered this recipe from Hannaford. It’s from the Jan/Feb 2007 fresh, and it’s free of trans fats while adding some good “white wheat” flour.
Better Baking Mix
Yield: 6 cups
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dry buttermilk powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp salt
1 cup trans-fat-free shortening
Combine dry ingredients in bowl and mix thoroughly. Add shortening. Using electric mixer on low speed, mix ingredients for about 1 minute. Mixture will be fine, even and crumbly.
Transfer to a sealed storage container. Store in fridge for up to 6 weeks.
