Front of Pack Nutrition Labeling (FOPNL) of prepackaged foods is likely to slip to the next European legislature, another years behind the December 13, 2017 deadline set by the Food Information Regulation (EU) No 1169/11 (Article 33.5).
This is an unacceptable delay in addition to the delay regarding the establishment of nutrient profiles of foods, set on January 19, 2009 by the
Nutrition and Health Regulation
(EC) No 1924/06 (Article 4).
Civil society-through a group of international organizations committed to consumer protection and public health-addresses an open letter of reminder to the European Commission. The NutriScore cannot wait any longer to help Europeans deal with the health emergency caused by widespread junk food consumption(WHO, 2022).
FOPNL, yet another unjustified delay.
The proposal to reform the Food Information Regulation by introducing a single FOPNL system to be applied throughout the EU was expected by the end of 2022. But the lobbies against the NutriScore–Ferrero and Coldiretti at the forefront, with support from the junk food industries, the only ones to be penalized by this system–have gained the upper hand.
The European Commission has thus postponed the submission of its proposal to ‘early 2023’. With a delay lacking any justification that could cause its political consideration to slip to the next European legislature, at the end of 2024, starting from scratch. Too late for a Europe plagued by the epidemic of seriousNon-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) caused by eating unbalanced foods.
The hope of achieving a harmonized label now rests with Sweden, which assumes the presidency of the European Council in the first half of 2023. The NutriScore is an effective information tool, already tested in 9 European countries and validated by about 90 scientific studies, as well as by IARC(International Agency for the Research on Cancer) and WHO (World Health Organization).
The concern of civil society organizations
European decision-making is being delayed and hindered by resistance from a section of Big Food that still resists, in the name of profit maximization, to remove ingredients with high contents of saturated fats (e.g., palm oil), as well as to reduce added sugar and salt contents. In defiance of commitments made in the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, in fact then failed.
Italy is exemplary of this distance between economic interests and public health. An industry opposed to the NutriScore (which it tried to oppose with the shameful
‘Nutrinform Battery’
) is now strongly backed by Gov. Meloni. While 3 million Italian consumers use the Yuka app, based precisely on NutriScore, every day to understand the nutritional value of foods.
European public health associations EHN, European Public Health Alliance (EUPHA) and consumer associations that are members of the BEUC Confederation therefore call out the urgency of guiding the debate on public health needs, in their open letter of Dec. 19, 2022 addressed to Frans Timmermans (Executive Vice President of the European Commission for the Green Deal) and Commissioners Stella Kyriakides (DG Health) and Janusz Wojciechowski (DG Agri). (2)
The open letter
This open letter expresses civil society’s concerns about the delays and content of the debate on front-of-pack nutrition labeling (FOPNL), which is increasingly less grounded in scientific evidence and the prevalence of public health. (3)
The urgency is dictated by the effects of unhealthy diets on public health, especially among low-income groups. ‘More than half of adults are now overweight or obese in most EU member states, exposing these citizens to a significant risk of contracting various noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers (…). At the same time, one in three children in the EU is already overweight or obese‘, recall the signatory organizations.
FOPNL, the essential criteria
Nutrition labeling on the front of the package must meet the needs of consumers to be useful in directing toward healthier food consumption.
The essential criteria of a nutritional FOPL are.
- compulsoriness,
- The use of interpretive color codes,
- The reference to uniform quantities (100 g or 100 ml),
- the ease for consumers to compare products based on their amounts of critical nutrients, particularly saturated fat, sugar and salt,
- The consideration of the front label as a complementary tool to consumer education and dietary recommendations.
The NutriScore sketch.
The indications provided by public health and consumer associations exactly match the NutriScore model. This labeling system, moreover,‘is based on a robust and sound scientific foundation with more than 80 scientific studies, published by independent academic researchers in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
These studies confirmed the validity of the nutritional profiling system underlying the calculation of its algorithm and highlighted, in many countries, the effectiveness of its graphical format (five colors).
The interest of Nutri-Score and its superiority over other nutrition labels has been demonstrated in terms of perception, ease of use, objective understanding, impact on food choices and nutritional quality of shopping baskets under real conditions, in different contexts: virtual supermarkets , experimental stores and in real-life supermarkets. These studies have shown that Nutri-Score is particularly effective in high-risk groups (disadvantaged populations, students, individuals with chronic diseases)‘, recalls Serge Hercberg, professor emeritus of nutrition at Sorbonne University in Paris.
Profit over People, Now Enough!
Marta Strinati and Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) The text of the letter and annexes are available at https://www.ehnheart.org/medias/news/2155:ehn,-beuc-and-epha-ask-for-a-timely-proposal-on-front-of-pack-etichettatura-nutrizionale.html
(2) EPHA brings together 89 public health organizations, EHN(European Heart Network) represents 28 organizations committed to cardiovascular disease, and BEUC(European Bureau of Consumer Unions) is the voice of 46 independent consumer associations.
(3) Consider the criticism of the widely praised NutriScore yet subject to all sorts of attacks, including that of the Italian Antitrust Authority and SAFE, which published a paper full of inaccuracies, as explained by Professor Serge Hercberg. V. Dario Dongo. NutriScore, Prof. Serge Hercberg responds to Safe’s report. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 24.10.22
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
 is likely to slip to the next European legislature.){kind=link}