Nutri-Score backed by European Public Health Association amid algorithm debate
Nutri-Score is one of Europe’s most well-known front-of-pack meals nourishment labelling systems. The method, which grades food from A to F in excess of how balanced it is, has been put into position on a voluntary foundation in international locations these as France and Germany, and has been employed on numerous items by providers these as Nestlé and PepsiCo.
On the other hand, it has also been seriously criticised, with some proclaiming it discriminates from certain meals merchandise.
Now, the European Community Wellbeing Affiliation is backing Nutri-Rating for EU-huge implementation: “We urge the EU to shift forward with out delay in gentle of the harms ensuing from unhealthy diet programs and the obvious advantages of [FOP labelling]”.
Does Nutri-Rating discriminate versus standard foods?
Some people today have pointed out that it is challenging, or even ‘impossible,’ for one-component food items this sort of as vegetable oils and fats to rating really.
Other folks have mentioned that it discriminates versus standard food items. Several common meals are shielded by geographical indications and high quality schemes such as TSGs (Standard Speciality Guaranteed) and as a result simply cannot be reformulated to match the standards of Nutri-Rating. Products and solutions this sort of as French cheese Camembert or Kalamata olives from Greece may perhaps be influenced.
Nutri-Rating ranks foodstuff from -15 for the ‘healthiest’ solutions to +40 for those that are ‘less healthy’. Based mostly on this rating, the solution receives a letter with a corresponding code: from dark eco-friendly (A) to dim purple (F).
For case in point, Italy has long campaigned in opposition to the obligatory adoption of Nutri-Score, arguing that many of its standard foods, these as Parma ham and Parmigiano cheese, would get lower scores. Italy even went so considerably as to argue that its regular meals should really be exempt.
Back in 2020, for example, Massimiliano Giansanti, president of the Italian confederation of agriculture, Confagricoltura, publicly criticised the scheme, declaring that it was ‘quite evident’ that common and solitary-ingredient foodstuff would be discriminated against.
‘Nutri-Rating is not opposed to the Mediterranean diet’
Serge Hercberg, a nutritionist who launched Nutri-Score, believes that it is the ideal entrance-of-pack labelling technique for dietary content material, both of those for accuracy and attractiveness to shoppers.
“A lot of scientific reports executed around quite a few a long time . . .validate the algorithm underlying the Nutri-Score calculation . . . and its effectiveness to assist people make much healthier food items options,” he informed FoodNavigator.
In addition, individuals “surface to want very simple, colourful and evaluative summary front-of-pack labels, which are a lot more effortlessly recognized, than additional elaborate, non-evaluative, monochrome labels.”
Responding to criticisms that Nutri-Score discriminates against staples of the Mediterranean diet, such as olive oil and parmesan, Hercberg mentioned that “Nutri-Score is not at all opposed to the Mediterranean food plan. On the contrary! The primary foodstuff of this model are very well categorised by Nutri-Score.”
Having said that, “some lobbies try to develop confusion concerning foodstuff that are element of the Italian gastronomic heritage (parmesan, San Daniele ham, gorgonzola,…) and foods promoted by the Mediterranean diet product. It is in actuality a misleading use of the notion of Mediterranean food.” He said that just due to the fact meals are element of Mediterranean heritage, it does not imply they are component of the Mediterranean diet plan and have ‘excellent nutritional excellent.’
He goes on to tension: “Italian olive oil is now classified as #Nutri-Score C like all olive oils, regardless of whether Spanish, Greek, French, Portuguese or Cypriot. This is the ideal possible score for a vegetable oil in comparison to sunflower, maize, peanut, soy, palm oils. “