Europe is not short of front-of-pack nutritional labels, with Nutri-Score, the Traffic Light scheme and Keyhole label dominating in different countries and regions. But with each label championing its own algorithm, do they yield different outcomes?
Are ultra-processed foods more likely to have low Nutri-Score ratings? And should the Nova classification system be incorporated into the Nutri-Score algorithm?
Is Nutri-Score opposed to the Mediterranean diet? Does the algorithm discriminate against traditional foods? And why doesn’t it take ultra-processing into account? Scientists and health professionals address Nutri-Score ‘misunderstandings’.
This week, the Netherlands announced Nutri-Score will ‘definitely’ be adopted as its official voluntary nutrition labelling scheme. The move is a controversial one, with nutritionists arguing the scheme contradicts its food-based dietary guidelines.
On shelves where Nutri-Score is widely displayed in France, nutritional quality has significantly improved, according to UFC-Que Choisir, a consumer organisation calling for its mandatory adoption.
The EU’s Farm to Fork strategy will dramatically affect what claims food manufacturers can make on their packaging, says legal expert Katia Merten-Lentz.
Nutritional labelling and government-backed dietary guidelines are designed to deliver the greatest good, to the greatest number of people. But this nutritional advice and information is often based on flawed or incomplete data. Scientists at Aberystwyth...
As the European Union’s nutrition labelling deadline approaches, a pro Nutri-Score campaign launches in France, while others condemn the scheme for being ‘too simple’ and out-of-date.
Italian researchers are urging front-of-pack labelling systems to take into account processing methods as well as nutritional composition after their work linked ultra-processed food with an increased mortality risk.
Italy, which is publicly opposed to Nutri-Score, has developed a smartphone app to accompany its alternative nutritional labelling scheme NutrInform Battery.
While judged to be performing ‘well’, the Scientific Committee of the Nutri-Score has suggested improvements to further align the FOP nutrition label with dietary guidelines.
Further doubts have been raised about whether Nutri-Score will be rolled out across the whole EU after the Italian Competition Authority ruled the front-of-pack label gives a false impression about the healthiness of a product, and may even prompt consumers...
Nutri-Score’s creator has rubbished claims from Italy’s food industry body Federalimentare that the EFSA’s latest opinion on nutrition labels marks a rebuff of the Nutri-Score algorithm.
By Katia Merten-Lentz, Partner and Founder of Food Law Science & Partners
As the European Commission continues to consult on future front-of-pack nutritional labelling plans, Katia Merten-Lentz, Partner and Founder of Food Law Science & Partners, an international boutique firm for Food and Feed law matters (Brussels and...
Italian wine makers have lashed out at ‘insulting’ Nutri-Score proposals to add a black ‘F’ to alcoholic drinks as a warning to consumers about the damaging effects of alcohol even in moderate amounts.
From slaughterhouses to cutting plants and meat processors, Spain’s meat industry is ‘totally against’ front-of-pack nutritional labelling scheme Nutri-Score. FoodNavigator hears why.
Food will become more expensive in Germany, it has been warned, after the new coalition government announced measures aiming to accelerate a shift to ‘sustainable agriculture and food systems’.
In a dialogue between scientists, MEPs and citizens, the French Government is accused of acting in self-interest by supporting front-of-pack nutrition label Nutri-Score. “It’s no secret,” says Spanish MEP Adrian Vasquez Lazara. “I hope the European Commission...
EFSA has opened a public dialog on front-of-pack nutritional labelling and health claims as it works to finalise the scientific advice that will help decision makers develop an EU-wide scheme.
A recent study has come out in favour of mandatory front-of-pack labelling (FOPL) policies – for both directing consumer choice and encouraging the food industry to reformulate products.
Despite criticism from producers that Nutri-Score’s ‘C’ ranking of olive oil penalises the product, fresh research out of Spain suggests the nutrition labelling scheme does not negatively impact consumer perception, nor intention to purchase.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has published a report suggesting Nutri-Score is the most effective nutrition label in helping lower risk of NCDs such as cancer.
The Consortia of PDO cheeses Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano have spoken out against nutrition labelling scheme Nutri-Score, suggesting its algorithm ‘misleads and deceives’ consumers.
Europe’s olive oil industry is railing against the ‘unfair’ Nutri-Score algorithm and has launched the first international awards to assess the health benefits and flavour of olive oils in the hope the food labelling scheme will review its assessment...
In the countdown to Spain’s national implementation of Nutri-Score, the labelling scheme has encountered ‘attacks’ in traditional and social media, says Professor Jordi Salas-Salvadó from Rovira I Virgili University.
Typical marketing instruments – such as colour coding and scale – are being used to influence consumer purchasing behaviour, argues EDA board member Valentina Zanetti. Mars, amongst others, does not agree.
Front-of-pack nutrition labelling schemes that use across-the-board algorithms – such as Nutri-Score – allow for ‘discrepancies’, whereby a dark green ‘A’ ranking does not necessarily mean a healthy choice, argues Voedingsjungle’s Manon van Eijsden.
One of Europe’s most popular front-of-pack nutrition labels has been criticised for discriminating against foods that are traditional, single-ingredient, protected by geographical indications, or all of the above.
While some Member States and food makers are backing a harmonised approach to nutrition labelling, others have called for coexistence between regional schemes.
Germany’s Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture, Julia Klöckner, says she expects food manufacturers to use Nutri-Score after the controversial food labelling scheme was officially introduced in the country earlier this month.
A new study out of Belgium has sought to determine the effectiveness of the front-of-pack labelling scheme by asking two key questions: How does Nutri-Score impact the perceived healthiness of a product? And what is its effect on consumer purchase intentions?
Italy has kicked its long-standing fight against the adoption of Nutri-Score nutritional labelling across the EU up a notch in a new ‘non-paper’ that has secured the official backing of seven other member states.
Salt of the Earth says its Mediterranean Umami can help manufacturers improve the nutrient profiling calculation of their savoury snacks. Nutri-Score has been adopted by numerous European countries and companies like Nestlé and Danone.
A fresh study has revealed that children in France are most exposed to advertising for products with a Nutri-Score ranking of D and E – meaning foods of lower nutritional quality. The findings, says Santé Publique France, support the need for food marketing...
Nutri-Score is attracting increased attention – both good and bad – from MEPs in the lead up to the Commission’s decision on an EU-wide mandatory labelling scheme.
Conventional food labels require consumers to interpret visible information. Could and should they be modified to help the visually impaired make more informed food choices?
EU trade association FEDIOL is proposing ‘concrete’ suggestions to align Nutri-Score with nutrition and health claims, Director-General Nathalie Lecocq tells FoodNavigator.
Kellogg has embraced the controversial Nutri-Score labelling system in France, while Italy favours a ‘battery system’ in an effort to protect the Mediterranean diet.