Food News

As part of the transnational governance of the Nutri-Score, the steering committee has finalised the process of revising the algorithm for calculating the Nutri-Score. The scientific committee's recommendations for beverages were adopted on 30 March 2023.

EU Regulation 1169/2011 defines the general principles, requirements and responsibilities governing food information and, in particular, food labelling. This information may, for example, concern the sales name, the list of ingredients, use-by dates and information about nutritional characteristics, enabling consumers who need to follow a special diet to make an informed choice about a food product.

These nutritional compositions have been compulsory on pre-packaged foodstuffs since 13 December 2016.

In 2017, to supplement this nutritional information, France established a system called the Nutri-score on a voluntary basis for food industry professionals. The Nutri-score is a logo based on a scale of 5 colours ranging from green to dark orange, associated with letters from A to E. It provides consumers with simplified information on the nutritional quality of foodstuffs. Numerous studies have confirmed its effectiveness. Consumers now have access to a balanced, health-promoting diet, thanks to a summary labelling system that is simple and accessible to all.

Since its launch in France, several countries have decided to recommend its use: Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The Nutri-score is now the subject of international consultations led by a scientific committee appointed by the competent authorities in the 7 countries and made up of independent experts selected from the fields of nutrition and public health in various countries.

In 2021, this scientific committee established ways of improving the calculation system used to define the class of a food. In a publication dated 1 August 2023, approved by Santé Publique France (owner of the Nutri-Score trademark), changes to the algorithm are to be taken into account.

The Nutri-Score of products placed on the market after 31 December 2023 must in principle be based on the updated algorithm.

The proposed changes will increase the effectiveness of the Nutri-Score in classifying foods in accordance with the dietary recommendations of different countries and thus lead consumers to make more mindful food choices.

The changes concern:

• Milk, milk-based drinks, fermented milk-based drinks and plant-based drinks are now included in the drinks category (previously included in the general foods category).
• Sweeteners in beverages are given negative points so that the Nutri-Score for artificially sweetened beverages is more in line with dietary guidelines, such as the Netherlands' Wheel of Five.
• Beverages containing cocoa powder, coffee or chicory are now calculated on the basis of their nutritional declaration per 100g/ml as consumed (i.e. after dilution with milk or water). Previously, this was based on 100g/ml as sold.
• Water is now the only drink to benefit from a Nutri-Score A. All other drinks, including those that are naturally low in calories, are now classified as B to E.
• No change for fruit juices

YOUR PLUS: AGROLAB LUFA GmbH can calculate the Nutri-Score of your foodstuffs using the latest updated algorithms and can help you choose the colour scale for the logos on your packaging. Your account manager or customer service representative will be happy to provide you with further information.