Facilitating Consumers Choice of Healthier Foods: A Comparison of Different Front-of-Package Labelling Schemes Using Slovenian Food Supply Database

Abstract

Summary indicator front-of-package nutrition labelling schemes are gaining momentum. In Europe, an example of such a scheme is Nutri-Score, which was first introduced in France. Supported by additional research, the scheme has the potential to expand into other countries. Such a scenario opens a series of questions related to the use of Nutri-Score in the territories with pre-existing food labelling schemes. A key question is whether different nutrition labelling schemes would provide conflicting information for consumers when applied to same foods. The goal of our study was, therefore, to evaluate the alignment of different front-of-package nutrition labelling schemes. The study was conducted using cross-sectional data on the composition of selected categories of prepacked foods with high penetration nutrition/health claims and symbols in the Slovenian food supply. We evaluated a variety of existing front-of-package nutrition labelling schemes: three interpretive nutrition rating systems (Nutri-Score, Health Star Rating (HSR), Traffic light system), four health symbols (Protective Food symbol, Choices, Finnish heart, and Keyhole symbol), and also three nutrient profile models developed for other purposes (Office of Communications (United Kingdom, Ofcom), World Health Organization Regional office for Europe (WHOE) and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)). Overall, our results indicate that interpretive nutrition rating systems (i.e., Nutri-Score) are mostly less strict than the nutrient profiles of tested health symbols. A risk of conflicting information would happen in a scenario where food is eligible to carry a health symbol, but is at the same time rated to have lower nutritional quality by an accompanying interpretive nutrition rating system. When Protective Food symbol and Nutri-Score are used together, this would occur for 5% of foods in our sample. To avoid such risks, schemes for health symbols could be adapted to be stricter than interpretive nutrition rating systems used in the same territory/market, but such adaptations are challenging and should be well planned. While our study showed that, in most cases, Nutri-Score is a less strict model than tested health symbols, the rating-system approach might offer useful support and incentive for food producers towards gradual food reformulation.

Evaluation of the Ability of Nutri-Score to Discriminate the Nutritional Quality of Prepacked Foods Using a Sale-Weighting Approach

“…The reported differences in nutrient profiling approaches of different labelling schemes highlight areas that need to be carefully addressed during the harmonisation of FOPNL in Europe. Consistency among labelling profiles is vital in order to provide unambiguous information to consumers [50,51]. For example, the NS for fats and cheeses is mentioned as being of concern in some countries, and some countries point out inconsistencies with their national recommendations [28,52].…”

Assessment of Sodium Content of Processed Food Available in Indonesia

“…However, the same method is commonly used to compare two different nutrient profile models in order to determine the suitability or reliability of the nutrient profile model used with other nutrient profile models as a reference. This was demonstrated in other studies comparing models of varied nutrient profile with different types of food (Pivk Kupirovič et al 2020;Labonté et al 2017). This comparison can help regulators to determine the nutrient profile model to be used as a reference (Poon et al 2018).…”

Categorizing Foods by Relative Healthfulness: A Scoping Review of Front of Pack Labelling

“…Products exhibiting a mandated labelling such as the HSR enhance consumers' capacity to identify and choose healthier food items even if they did not view the BOP nutrition information. In addition, a recent study conducted by Kupirovic et al showed that all front-of-package nutrition labelling systems will make it easier for customers to make healthier decisions so they can follow dietary recommendations and distinguish within a category between healthy and less healthy items [49]. The limitations for nutrient profiling include not enough evidence as to which labelling scheme is most suitable and successful.…”