nutritional rating systems are used to communicate the nutritional value of food in a more-simplified manner, with a ranking (or rating), than nutrition facts labels. a system may be targeted at a specific audience. rating systems have been developed by governments, non-profit organizations, private institutions, and companies. common methods include point systems to rank (or rate) foods based on general nutritional value or ratings for specific food attributes, such as cholesterol content. graphics and symbols may be used to communicate the nutritional values to the target audience.