Nutri-Score
The Nutri-Score is a rating system that shows how healthy a piece of food is. In 2017, the French government selected it over several other, similar systems.[1][2] The idea is to put the label on the front of products, so that consumers can easily compare. It is based on the calculation of a nutrient profiling system derived from the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency nutrient profiling system (FSA score).[1] It has also been recommended by Belgian, Spanish, German and Dutch authorities[3][4][5] as well as the European Commission and the World Health Organization.[2] It was created by Santé Publique France, the French public health agency, based on the work of Serge Hercberg from Sorbonne Paris North University.
Nutri-Score was also chosen because it is the most efficient label that tells about the nutritional quality of foods.[6]
Calculation[change | change source]
A Nutri-Score for a particular food item is given in one of five classification letters: 'A' is the best, and 'E' the worst score. The calculation of the score involves seven different parameters of nutrient information per 100g of food which are usually available on food packagings.
High content of fruits and vegetables, fibers, protein and healthy oils (rapeseed, walnut and olive oils, rule added in 2019) promote a better score, while high content of energy, sugar, saturated fatty acids, and sodium promote a worse score. In addition to the general calculation rules applied to most types of food, there are special rules for cheese, for “added fats” (fats that are meant as ingredients, such as vegetable oils or butter), and for beverages.
Adoption[change | change source]
EU laws do not allow countries to impose their own food labelling system, therefore they can only give recommendations.
The Nutri-Score has been officially recommended by health authorities in France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain and Switzerland.[3][4][5][7]
In Portugal, Slovenia and Austria, some food companies such as Nestlé, Auchan or Danone announced that they would use the Nutri-Score although it was not officially recommended by the authorities.[8][9][10]
Opposition to Nutri-Score is coming from a coalition of countries including Italy, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, and Romania. The Italian government has proposed a competing food label system. Southern EU countries say Nutri-score puts the traditional Mediterranean diet at a disadvantage.
The score is also used by Open Food Facts to allow people to compare the nutritional value of products.
References[change | change source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Julia, Chantal; Etilé, Fabrice; Hercberg, Serge (2018). "Front-of-pack Nutri-Score labelling in France: an evidence-based policy". The Lancet Public Health. 3 (4): e164. doi:10.1016/s2468-2667(18)30009-4. ISSN 2468-2667. PMID 29483002.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Santi, Pascale Santi (20 February 2018). "Le logo nutritionnel arrive dans les rayons des supermarchés" [The nutritional logo is now available in supermarket shelves]. Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sota, Idoia (20 November 2018). "Cómo funciona NutriScore, el nuevo etiquetado de alimentos: críticas y virtudes del semáforo nutricional". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Morrison, Oliver (1 October 2019). "Germany plans to introduce Nutriscore: 'This is a milestone in nutrition policy'". FoodNavigator. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Best, Dean (29 November 2019). "Dutch government announces support for Nutri-Score". Just Food. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
- ↑ Julia, Chantal; Pettigrew, Simone; Hercberg, Serge; Talati, Zenobia; Egnell, Manon (October 2018). "Objective Understanding of Front-of-Package Nutrition Labels: An International Comparative Experimental Study across 12 Countries". Nutrients. 10 (10): 1542. doi:10.3390/nu10101542. PMC 6213801. PMID 30340388.
- ↑ "Luxembourg joins Nutri-Score adopters". RetailDetail. 13 February 2020. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
- ↑ Revill, John (27 November 2019). Miller, John (ed.). "Nestle to use Nutri-Score nutrition-labeling in Europe". Reuters. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
[Nestlé] will introduce [Nutri-Score] in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and Switzerland, starting in the first half of 2020.
- ↑ "Auchan Portugal Adopts Nutri-Score On Own-Brand Products". ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine. 18 October 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
- ↑ Vošnjak, Anita (15 February 2019). "Danone prinaša v Slovenijo nov črkovno-barvni model označevanja živil nutri-score". Dnevnik (in Slovenian). Retrieved 1 December 2019.
Other websites[change | change source]
- Development of a new front-of-pack nutrition label in France: the five-colour Nutri-Score Archived 2022-01-05 at the Wayback Machine, article in the WHO's Public Health Panorama (vol. 3, issue 4) which describes the Nutri-Score in detail
- Official website at Santé Publique France