The Italic battle against NutriScore, sees Ferrero now isolated with only the support of the Coldiretti magic circle, apeed by Confagricoltura, and Italian politicians at their beck and call.
In contrast, the rest of Europe-farmers and ranchers, processors, public health workers, consumers-shared the need to help consumers eat better.
Indeed, the NutriScore label is meant to help citizens understand at a glance the nutritional profiles of ultra-processed foods whose characteristics are otherwise hidden (1,2).
NutriScore, the debate in the European Parliament.
The European Commission-in its Farm to Fork (f2f) strategy, presented on 5/20/20 (3)-also announced proposals to amend the Food Information Regulation (reg. EU 1169/11). Extend the indication of origin or provenance to meat and milk used as ingredients in other food products, and introduce harmonized and mandatory summary nutrition information on the front of labels.
The European Parliament, on 7/15/21, released the draft resolution on the Farm to Fork strategy. The various political groups have drafted a series of compromise amendments, which will go to the Parliament’s own referral committee (ENVI) for a vote in September. In the prospect-suggested also by the writer (4)-of imposing the NutriScore at least on the Front-of-Pack (FOP) of processed and ultra-processed foods. (5)
NutriScore, the political compromise
The compromise amendment no. 25 in paragraph 16(Processed foods and nutrition claims) – supported by the political groups EPP (popular), S&D (socialists), Renew, Greens/EFA (greens), ID, ECR (conservatives), The Left (left) – provides the following.
‘It is recognized that nutrition labels on the front of packaging have been identified by international public health bodies such as the World Health Organization as
– a key tool to help consumers make more informed, balanced, and healthier food choices that the nutrition labeling system on the front of the packaging, which is consistent with and complementary to the dietary guidelines, should help consumers make healthier food choices by providing them with understandable information about the foods they consume;
– the Commission is urged to ensure that a mandatory, harmonized EU nutrition label on the front of packaging is developed based on sound, independent scientific evidence and proven consumer experience’.
Ultraprocessed foods. Reformulation
MEPs also call for ‘a range of complementary measures, including regulatory measures and consumer awareness campaigns,
– to reduce the public health burden of excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods and other products high in salt, sugar and fat ;
– Calls on major food producers and retailers to quickly and seriously reformulate processed foods, excluding PDOs and PGIs, where improvements on healthier composition can be achieved; and
– welcomes the Commission’s intention to initiate initiatives to stimulate such reformulation, including by setting maximum levels of sugar, fat and salt in certain processed foods (…)’.
Junk food. Marketing restrictions
Junk food must come under restrictions, as even Boris Johnson’s Conservative government in the UK has realized, to safeguard public health. So too, the European Parliament ‘urges the Commission to closely monitor progress on reformulation.’ Therefore
– ‘stresses that such reformulations should also seek to minimize health risks from food additives, pesticide residues and harmful chemicals,
– Calls for special attention to be paid to baby foods and other special foods and for an effective, EU-wide regulatory approach to Address children’s and adolescents’ exposure to the advertising and marketing of processed foods high in fat, sugar and salt in broadcast and digital media.’
Nutritional profiles
The Europarliament also urges the nutrient profiles that the European Commission should have adopted 12 years ago to end nutrition and health claims on junk-food (or HFSS, High Fats, Sugar and Sodium). (6) Thus:
– ‘welcomes the announcement of a legislative proposal to establish nutrient profiles;
– points out that many food products, including some marketed for children, continue to use nutrition and health claims despite having high levels of nutrients of concern;
– stresses that a solid set of nutrient profiles must be developed to ban the use of nutrition and health claims on foods high in fat, sugar and/or salt; calls for special attention to be paid to baby foods and other special foods.’
Public health emergency
In Italy as in Spain, one in four children is obese or overweight. (7) A stigma that is bound to bring with it chronic and serious diseases, from diabetes to cardiovascular and reproductive system dysfunctions, metabolic syndromes, immune system deficits, etc. Everything that no sentient being would want for themselves, their loved ones and the community.
However, public health marauders continue to produce junk food because that is what maximizes profits(Nestlé, 2021). And to promote it on children and adolescents in ways that Unicef itself (2020) has precisely called ‘predatory’. With neuromarketing tools,
social
e
influencer marketing
.
Ferrero, Paolo De Castro, Coldiretti
Ferrero, for at least a decade, has been the leader of the borderless fight against any nutrition policy to protect public health. (8) Paolo De Castro, his first ally in the European Parliament, also received a proposal to become its president years ago.
‘Over my dead body!’
allegedly promised Paolo De Castro to Lapo Civiletti (CEO of Ferrero), to confirm his commitment to opposing NutriScore to the bitter end. Except being forced to capitulate, on the political compromise in the upper paragraph, by the other members of the S&D group (Socialists and Democrats).
Coldiretti’s chief boss , Vincenzo Gesmundo, is Ferrero’s other proud ally (whom in fact he involved in the Filiera Italia Foundation at the time). So Coldiretti’s magic circle, with peace of mind about the public health emergency, has once again intervened in the battle against Nutriscore.
Italic stable orders
‘Then everything can be remedied, as we did in recent days by forcing-after a denial statement from Minister Speranza-the Italian delegate [Walter, ed.] Ricciardi, who was oriented in favor of Nutriscore, to change his position in Brussels. (…)
Compared with all other representative organizations, we travel with a dual engine. The one centrally located in the Confederation and the one present at a widespread level in the territory (…). We must be able to tell, contaminate and prepare on the territories stakeholders who have a national voice (…)’ (Vincenzo Gesmundo, 3/25/21. See note 9).
Interim conclusions
The NutriScore has proven its effectiveness precisely in France, Europe’s champion in agricultural and cheese production, with no objection or decline in sales of traditional foods. However, consumers can more easily choose sweet and salty snacks, ice cream, and nutritionally preferable ready meals. And producers are incentivized to innovate, to adapt recipes to meet nutrition and health needs.
In Italy , on the other hand, public health and nutrition policy is still commanded by Ferrero (producer of calorie bombs with palm oil and out-of-control sugar), Confindustria short-circuited at its orders (10) and Coldiretti. The latter of which thus dragged the Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano DOP consortia, among others, into the insulting battle. As well as Confagriculture and various other underlings of the strong powers. What about the public good, democracy? Ad maiora.
Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. How to solve the nutritional conundrum? News on the label front, review and outlook. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 12/29/20, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/etichette/come-risolvere-l-enigma-nutrizionale-notizie-sul-fronte-etichetta-rassegna-e-prospettive
(2) Hercberg S, Galan P, Kesse-Guyot E, Touvier M, Deschasaux M, Srour B, Fialon M, Julia C. (2021). Nutri-Score: le bilan 3 ans après son adoption officielle en France. Rev Prat. 2021 Feb;71(2):151-154. French. PMID: 34160970
(3) Dario Dongo, Marina De Nobili. Farm to Fork special, the strategy presented in Brussels on 5/20/20. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/progresso/speciale-farm-to-fork-la-strategia-presentata-a-bruxelles-il-20-5-20
(4) Dario Dongo. NutriScore and nutritional profiles, updates from Brussels. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 10.5.21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/etichette/nutriscore-e-profili-nutrizionali-aggiornamenti-da-bruxelles
(5) Among other things, foods for sportsmen and those for special nutritional purposes should be excluded, as in fact was proposed to the Codex Alimentarius Commission for Food Labelling, in the draft guidelines on front-of-pack nutrition labelling (see.
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(6) Dario Dongo. Nutrition profiles, 10 years of absconding in Brussels. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 19.1.19, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/etichette/profili-nutrizionali-10-anni-di-latitanza-a-bruxelles
(7) Dario Dongo, Sabrina Bergamini. Childhood obesity, 1 in 4 children at risk in Italy. Istat Report. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 10/29/19, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/salute/obesità-infantile-1-minore-su-4-a-rischio-in-italia-rapporto-istat
(8) Dario Dongo. Nutella splashes on WHO. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 7/22/18, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/salute/schizzi-di-nutella-sull-oms
(9) Vincenzo Gesmundo. Report 25.3.21. Excerpt from point 5 (labeling, from deja vu to shockwave)
(10) Dario Dongo, Marta Strinati. Are snacks better than homemade sweets? Short circuit in Confindustria. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 10.10.20, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/idee/le-merendine-meglio-dei-dolci-fatti-in-casa-corto-circuito-in-confindustria
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
