The Nutri-Score nutrition label

Abstract

Abstract. Nutri-Score is a front-of-pack nutrition label with summary graded colour-coding, which aims to inform consumers, in a simple and understandable way, of the overall nutritional value of foods, in order to help them to make healthier choices at the point of purchase and to encourage manufacturers to improve the nutritional quality of their products. It is based on a five-colour scale (from dark green to dark orange) associated with letters, from A to E, to optimize logo accessibility and understanding by the consumer. Nutri-Score does not merely characterize foods as “healthy” or “unhealthy”. Rather, the graded logo provides semi-quantitative information, depending on the colour/ letter, of the relative overall nutritional composition of a food product compared to other similar products as to whether it is more or less favourable to health. Nutri-Score is the only proposed labelling scheme that adheres entirely to the concepts and processes that were published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) Europe concerning the validation studies that are required to select and evaluate a front-of-pack nutrition label. The aim of the present paper is to present the scientific basis for the design of the Nutri-Score and to summarize the various studies to validate its calculation method and its graphic format. We explore its effectiveness and superiority compared to other labelling schemes that have been implemented in other countries or supported by pressure groups. The necessity for objective, impartial consideration of how best to use Nutri-Score and avoid misunderstandings is highlighted.

Associations between the Nutrient Profiling System Underlying the Nutri-Score Nutrition Label and Biomarkers of Chronic Low-Grade Inflammation: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of a Middle- to Older-Aged Population

“…Nevertheless, studies have indicated that subjects with a dietary intake corresponding to a better FSAm-NPS score have a lower consumption of sweet and fatty snacking products, lower saturated fatty acid intakes and higher consumption of fruits and vegetables [ 48 ]. These findings were also observed in our research, suggesting that eating foods that are better ranked on the Nutri-Score scale is associated with better overall dietary nutritional quality [ 18 ]. In addition, a study by De Temmerman et al [ 49 ], which investigated the impact of the Nutri-Score and its five categories on consumers’ perceived perceptions of healthiness and purchasing intentions, found that the presence of the Nutri-Score enabled respondents to better assess the healthiness of food and beverage products.…”

“…Surveys carried out in France, Spain, Belgium and Germany have additionally shown that the Nutri-Score is perceived favourably by consumers. These surveys also found that the Nutri-Score is the preferred format when compared to other nutrition labels tested; this was found to be particularly true in populations with the lowest level of nutritional knowledge [ 18 ]. It should be noted that controversy exists regarding the Nutri-Score and its proposed adoption by the European Union Commission as a front-of-pack labelling system for European Union member states.…”

“…The Nutri-Score labelling system classifies foods and beverages into five colour-coded categories, from category A (which indicates better nutritional quality) to category E (which indicates poorer nutritional quality). This is assessed using the Food Standards Agency nutrient profiling system (FSAm-NPS), which is a revised version of a profiling system created by the British Food Standards Agency [ 18 , 19 , 20 ]. The FSAm-NPS was developed to prevent nutrition-related conditions by assigning a score to foods or beverages per 100 g content of energy, sugars, sodium, protein, saturated fatty acids, fruits, vegetables, dietary fibre, legumes and nuts [ 21 ].…”

“…It is important to test the validity of the FSAm-NPS scoring system by examining relationships between the nutritional quality of foods graded by the FSAm-NPS and health outcomes [ 18 ]. Accordingly, research has demonstrated that consumption of food products with lower FSAm-NPS scores (representing higher nutritional quality) is related to more favourable outcomes for weight gain, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, cancer and mortality [ 21 ].…”

Is FOP Nutrition Label Nutri-Score Well Understood by Consumers When Comparing the Nutritional Quality of Added Fats, and Does It Negatively Impact the Image of Olive Oil?

“…For four years, major food lobby groups developed various strategies to try to block its application [4,5]. They denied or questioned the results of the abundant scientific studies that demonstrated the effectiveness of Nutri-Score compared to other existing graphical formats [6]. In 2020, the large multi-country FOP-ICE study in 12 European countries including Spain [7,8] showed that the Nutri-Score appeared as the best scheme to help participants identify healthier food products compared to other front-of-pack nutrition labels (FoPLs).…”