New system rates foods' healthiness

LOS ANGELES It's called the Nuval Scoring System, and it assigns a healthiness score to various food items on a scale from 1 to 100.

The scale uses criteria like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and healthy omega three fat content in the rating. Also, the system takes into account the sugar and cholesterol content of the food.

Experts hope the new system helps consumers cut through the marketing hype seen on some food packaging.