Introduction:
Nutrient profiling systems (NPS) score food quality using specific criteria. Several individual dietary scores, based on NPS, have been computed. Food compass score (FCS) is a new, credible, transparent NPS, which classifies foods and beverages from “least healthy” (score 1) to “most healthy” (score 100) per 100 kcal¹.

Aim:
To clinically validate FCS through examining its correlations with other indices, food groups and meal patterns.

Methodology:
: 345 participants of the University of the Peloponnese (269 women) participated. Dietary habits were evaluated with a food frequency questionnaire and the following indices were computed: FCS, MedDietScore², and the Health Star Rating score (HSR)³. Data on main meals and snacks frequency consumption were collected and three meal patterns were identified with principal component analysis i.e., “early eater” (breakfast and morning snack), “medium eater” (lunch and dinner) and “late eater” (bedtime snack). Pearson partial correlations were used to test the correlation coefficients between FCS, other scores and meal patterns, after adjustment for age, sex, BMI and underreporting⁴.

Results:
FCS was positively correlated to HSR (rho=0.761, p= <0.001) in multi-adjusted analysis. In the highest tertile of MedDietScore (scores> 33) FCS was also positively correlated to MedDietScore (rho=0.379, p<0.001). The FCS was positively correlated with HSR, juices, high fat dairy, vegetables, legumes, fruits and olive oil. The FCS was negatively correlated with sodas, alcoholic drinks, red meat, refined grains, sweets, fats other than olive oil, fast foods and coffee. Also, the FCS was positively related to the “early eater” pattern (rho= 0.207, p<0.001), while no relation to obesity was documented.

Conclusions:
The FCS was associated with other quality indices and better nutritional habits, like being early eater.