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Most of us don't read the nutrition labels on the foods we buy. But now while you're checking out the price, you can also take a gander at another number.

Hy-vee food stores have added a number to the labels at its stores, but it has nothing to do with price. These numbers are intended to help you shop smarter.

NuVal system numbers, located on shelf price tags, scores each food item from 1 to 100, based on its nutritional content.

The closer to one hundred it is, the more nutritious for your body.

Lucy Crain is a dietician at Hyvee on Broadway in Quincy.

What is Nu Val?

"It's basically a nutrition score and what it does is condenses nutrition facts label and ingredients label and gives each food one score. Nu val is good for people who want to compare similar products. They might want to find the healthiest cereal in the cereal aisle which has the highest score," said Hy-Vee dietician Lucy Crain.

What brings a NU Val score down?

Crain said, "What brings a Nu val score down are things like sugar, saturated fat, cholesterol, trans fats, things that bring a score up are things like fiber and vitamins."

One of the places you can find the biggest range of numbers is in the cereal aisle.

What's the best cereal?

Crain said, "Just this morning I found these Captain Crunch Crunch Berries that got a score of eight. A good one is the unfrosted mini wheats with a score of 91."

Some of the highest Nu Val scores can be found in the produce aisle. Carrots score a 99 while romaine lettuce has a perfect score at 100.

The system will eventually include every item in the store from fruits and vegetables to the meat behind the counter.

All Hy-vee's stores in the Tri-states have the NuVal system.  Many sections of the store has the new labeling and its expected to grow as more areas are added.