The NutriScore label-which shows the nutritional profile of foods at a glance, with 5 letters and 5 colors-is moving forward in Europe. After the governments of France, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland, the governments of Germany and the Netherlands are also coming on board.
NutriScore, the smart label
The NutriScore system was developed by a group of scholars in nutritional epidemiology(EREN) de l’Université de Paris – Paris 13, together with independent researchers from the same university, Inserm(Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale) and INRA(Institut national de la recherche agronomique). Aiming to help consumers understand the nutritional value of foods and promote the choice of those best suited to compose balanced diets. (1)
The information scheme consists of a logo, to be placed on the front of the food label. 5 colors-from green to dark orange, denoted by as many letters (A to E)-express the food’s suitability for regular consumption. Or vice versa, sparingly. Thanks to the application of an algorithm that considers their nutritional values. (2)
The European citizens’ initiative
TheEuropean citizens’ initiative to introduce the NutriScore on the labels of all food products sold in the EU was registered on 8.5.19. It will have to collect 1 million signatures in at least 7 member countries by 8.5.20 for the European Commission to be forced to consider it.
The goals of the initiative are threefold:
1) Simplify nutrition labeling that is more readable and understandable even to non-experts,
2) Encourage food chain operators to reformulate products, that is, improve their composition and nutritional properties,
3) Harmonize nutrition information at the European level through a single official labeling system. (3)
We can all join the grassroots initiative by entering our details on the appropriate page. Sponsoring organizations include the consumer associations UFC-Que Choisir (France), Test-Achat (Belgium), VZBV (Germany), Consumentenbond (Netherlands), OCU (Spain), Federajca Konsumentow (Poland) and EKPIZO (Greece), members of BEUC(European Bureau of Consumer Associations).
NutriScore, Germany joins
The German Minister of Food and Agriculture, Julia Klöckner, announced on 9/30/19 her intention to introduce Nutri-Score as an official criterion for synthetic nutrition information on labels. An important step forward after initial resistance from the German government to the outcome of a decisive consumer survey. In fact, 57 percent of respondents-and in particular, people who rarely or never think about food composition-said they preferred the NutriScore to other nutrition statements. (4)
‘Consumers’ desire of greater transparency and safety in food purchasing-as the results show-is great. For many, it has so far been difficult to quickly choose suitable foods for proper nutrition. Especially because of the increasing reliance on processed foods, some of which contain too much sugar, or salt, and fat. This has effects on both health and the economy that I will not accept‘ (Julia Klöckner, Minister for Food and Agriculture, Federal Republic of Germany).
Nutri-Score, the Netherlands also gets on board
Dutch Secretary of State for Health, Welfare and Sport, Paul Blokhuis, announced on 11/28/19 his government’s decision to adopt the Nutri-Score. Starting in 2021, after assigning an ‘internationally independent committee of scientists‘ to ‘evaluate and adjust‘ the system against the Dutch nutritional guidelines.
The Netherlands had adopted, in 2006, a different summary nutrition information scheme, the so-called healthy logo, as part of the so-called
Choices Program
. Nevertheless, this scheme is in addition to the British Traffic Light System, the Nordic Keyhole (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland) and the Heart Logo in Finland and Slovenia. And it is all the more necessary to harmonize information, as precisely is proposed with the Nutri-Score. (5)
NutriScore, who is paddling against it?
8 of the 10 food ‘big sisters ‘-namely PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Unilever, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Mars, Associated British Foods and Mondelez-have so far refused to apply the NutriScore on labels. Danone, conversely, was the first group to introduce the logo. It was followed, just in these months, by Nestlé.
Much of Big Food‘s products , not surprisingly, qualify as HFSS(High in Fats, Sugar and Sodium). That is, junk food. Ferrero and Mars dominate the ranking, with 100% of products rated D or E. This is followed by Mondelez (86%), Nestlé (55%), 54% for Coca-Cola, 52% for Unilever, 50% for Kellogg’s, and 46% for PepsiCo. (6)
Therefore, it is not surprising that Big Food has invested more than 1 billion euros in lobbying to promote the GDA(Guideline Daily Amounts) system. A system effectively implemented in reg. EU 1169/11 – with the acronym RI, Reference Intake, or AR, Reference Intakes – which contrasts with those mentioned so far in two essential respects:
– Reference Intakes refer to the portion, rather than 100 g/ml. They thus prevent different products on the shelf from being compared on an objective basis,
– ARs, instead of simplifying information, complicate it. Adding other numbers (the shares of energy and macronutrients offered by a portion of food), of moreover very generic value (the average daily requirement of the 40-year-old ‘European woman’).
Italy’s dead battery
Against all logic then stands the proposed nutrition label system (by Big Food lobbyists ) in Italy. An icon reminiscent of that used to show the charge level of cell phone batteries or other electrical devices. With the scientific deception of associating nutritionally preferable products with the low battery symbol, junk food with the charged one.
Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) More information on the Santé publique France website,
(2) The algorithm considers both negative elements (simple sugars, saturated fatty acids, sodium, energy value) and positive elements (fiber, percentage of fruits and vegetables, protein)
(3) The European Citizens’ Initiative is available on the European Commission website, https://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/public/initiatives/open/details/2019/000008/it?lg=it
(4) 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. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-019-0357-x
(5) The NutriScore system is actually scheduled to be updated every three years. On 8/30/19, for example, the French government provided some corrections in the assessment of olive, walnut and rapeseed oils. V.
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000039034274&categorieLien=id
(6) Serge Hercberg, Chantal Julia, Manon Egnell, Mathilde Touvier, Pilar Galan. Étiquetagedes aliments: pour être efficace le NutriScore doit devenir obligatoire. The Conversation, 6/30/19,
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.