After France, Belgium and Spain, the Nutri-Score labeling system-which allows the nutritional profile of foods to be distinguished ‘at a glance’-is set to land in Germany as well. Invoked by consumer groups and health insurers, it also pleases industry. A newly published scientific study assesses its impact on the German food & beverage market.
Nutri-Score, a useful and urgent piece of information
Proponents of the Nutri-Score-and more generally, offront-of-pack synthetic nutrition labels(front-of-pack food labelling, FOPL)-are many, on many levels. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers them an effective tool to counter the epidemic of noncommunicable diseases. And consumers are calling for them from many quarters to facilitate more nutritionally balanced food choices across product categories.
In Germany, the consumer association FoodWatch is pressing hard for the government to adopt Nutri-Score labeling. Also in the same position are health insurance companies, which are interested in reducing the incidence of diseases that result from poor eating habits. Germany’s Minister of Food and Agriculture Julia Klöckner, however, continues to oppose it. Under the guise of ‘not wanting to dictate to German citizens what to eat’ , as if ever a simple news item on a label had force of imperium.
Two factors could intervene to unlock resistance. The first, the most logical, is pressure from below from consumAtors. Several food industries have already decided to move in this direction, the Spiegel reports. The European Commission in turn-after shamefully disregarding its duties on the issue of nutrition at the behest of Big Food-could finally take action. Also urging it is the‘Pro-Nutriscore’ initiative, through which European citizens are calling on Brussels to introduce this scheme throughout the EU.
NutriScore, study in Germany
The recent scientific study-published in Archives of Public Health-tested the compatibility of the Nutri-Score system with the German food market. (1) The researchers selected 8587 foods and beverages (2) marketed in Germany, drawing on the web database
Open Food Facts
. They then rated them according to the Nutri-Score scheme, which summarizes their nutritional profile with a graph expressed in 5 colors (two shades of green, yellow, orange, red) and as many letters (from the best A to the worst E, essential for color-blind readers). A consumer-friendly image affixed to the front of the labels.
The result, the researchers explain, shows that the classification of foods according to the Nutri-Score scheme is consistent with the German Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG). The foods of which the guidelines recommend consumption appear to be ranked more favorably. For example, 79.7 percent of products consisting mainly of fruits and vegetables are rated A or B. Those to be consumed in moderation, on the other hand, are classified unfavorably. 93.4% of sugary snacks receive D or E scores. Among beverages, most fruit juices go with a C (70.1%), sugary carbonated drinks with an E.
Without extreme dichotomies between healthy food and junk food, the French researchers continue, the Nutri-Score profiling also showed elasticity in assessment. To the point of articulating in at least three colors (degree of judgment) even foods belonging to the same group.
The experiment was successful, according to the researchers. They conclude that, if introduced on labels, the Nutri-Score system ‘would help consumers know the specific nutritional quality of foods and make healthier choices at the time of purchase.’ And it would produce ripple effects, stimulating its spread to other European countries that import or export food products to or from Germany.
Notes
(1) Fabien Szabo de Edelenyi, Manon Egnell, Pilar Galan, Nathalie Druesne-Pecollo, Serge Hercberg, Chantal Julia. (2019).‘Ability of the Nutri-Score front-of-pack nutrition label to discriminate the nutritional quality of foods in the German food market and consistency with nutritional recommendations’. Archives of Public Health.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-019-0357-x
(2) The sample of 8587 foods and beverages selected by the researchers consists of 527 commodities. Fruits and vegetables, breads and grain products (1396 references), meat, fish and egg products (688), milk and dairy products (1875), fats and sauces (619), compound foods (452), sweet (1745) and savory snacks (413), beverages (872)
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".
