The NutriScore-or rather, synthetic nutrition labeling on the label front-has overpowered every other debate on the EU Farm to Fork strategy.
Industry persists in wanting to hide the nutritional profiles of foods, but the European Parliament, in its resolution 20.10.21, reiterates the need for this (1,2).
Indeed, the Europarliament goes further, urging reformulation of ultra-processed foods with excesses in sugar, fat and saturated fat, and salt.
Big Food then laments the discrimination of ultraprocessed foods – a.k.a., junk food – by those who represent European citizens. (3) An in-depth study.
1) NUTRISCORE
1.1) Background. Nutritional profiles
The idea of distinguishing foods by their nutritional characteristics dates back to 2003. When the European Commission adopted the proposed regulation on Nutrition & Health Claims, now reg. EC 1924/06, which introduced the concept of nutrition profiles, in Article 4. For the express purpose of prohibiting the boasting of health benefits on nutritionally imbalanced foods. However, industrial lobbies have succeeded in preventing the implementation of this rule, which will turn 12 years late on 19.1.22.
The needs for nutritional security and prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) then emerged, progressively, in the following years. In the face of evidence of rising trends in obesity, overweight, and diseases related to diets with excessive intakes of fat and saturated fat, sugar, and salt. International health policies have therefore been moving toward new means of consumer information, among other things. Specifically, through summary news about the nutritional profiles of prepackaged food products, to be placed on the front-of-pack(FOP) area of their labels.
1.2) NutriScore, the most widely used scheme in the EU.
The NutriScore is the most widely used Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labeling (FOPNL) system in the Old World. Developed in Paris by the national public health agency Santé Publique France, it has been adopted in France, Spain and Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. A simple logo expresses the nutritional score with five color shades (green to vermilion) and five letters, A to E.
The goal of the NutriScore is to promote consumer choice of balanced foods. And thus contribute to the fight against obesity, overweight and related diseases. The 5 classes help consumers understand at a glance the nutritional quality of products on the shelf. While stimulating producers and distributors to improve the nutritional quality of food to achieve a better visible score on the label.
1.3) NutriScore, the five colors.
The nutritional quality of food is calculated using an algorithm, developed by INRA (National Institute of Agronomic Research, France), which considers the following values:
– energy intake (Kcal/KJ)
– fats (g)
– saturated fatty acids (g)
– carbohydrates (g)
– sugars (g)
– protein (g)
– salt (sodium equivalent, mg)
– fibers (g).
Fruits and vegetables, when present, help improve the score because of the micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) and phytoactives they contain.
1.4) NutriScore, the excluded products.
Products excluded from the application of NutriScore are:
– km0. That is, food distributed within 100 km of the place of production, when even pre-packed,
– bulk and prewrapped, as they are not subject to labeling requirements,
– Foods in any case excluded from the mandatory nutrition declaration (see EU reg. 1169/11, All. V).
2) EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
2.1) Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labeling (FOPNL), the vote in Strasbourg.
The European Parliament-in its resolution 20.10.21 on the Farm to Fork strategy-confirmed in plenary the political compromise reached on 15.7.21 at its ENVI(Environment, Food Safety and Public Health) Committee. (1) In particular:
– ‘recognizes that nutrition labels on the front of the package have been identified by international public health bodies such as the World Health Organization as a key tool to help consumers make more informed, more balanced and healthier food choices‘ [see footnote 4],
– ‘stresses that the front-of-pack nutrition labeling system, which is consistent with and complementary to dietary guidelines, should help consumers make healthier food choices by providing them with understandable information about the foods they consume‘ (para. 94).
2.2) FOPNL, scientific foundation
The Assembly then
– ‘invites the Commission to ensure that a mandatory, harmonized EU nutrition label on the front of packaging is developed on the basis of sound, independent scientific evidence and demonstrated consumer understanding, with open access to all market participants, including small and medium-sized ones, taking into account the additional burden on food operators and trade unions‘,
– ‘stresses that to facilitate product comparison, [il sistema] should include an interpretative element to provide transparent, comparable and harmonized product information and be based on uniform reference quantities‘ (para. 94).
2.3) FOPNL, possible temperaments
The agricultural and industrial lobbies have succeeded in obtaining some possible tempering, with respect to the introduction of synthetic nutrition labeling on the front of each label. Thus the Parliament:
– ‘calls on the Commission to give due consideration to the specific characteristics of single-ingredient products [e.g., flours, sugar, oils, ed.] and products subject to European quality schemes (PDOs, PGIs, etc.), particularly the invariability of their composition. While stressing that any consideration of potential exemptions should be based on scientific reasoning‘,
– ‘calls for the establishment of a digital system for the provision of voluntary supplementary information for food products (EU4healthyfood) and suggests that such information could be provided digitally via a QR code and be easily retrieved by the consumer‘ (Resolution 20.10.21, para. 94).
2.4) Product reformulation
The institution representing European citizens also
– ‘calls on major food producers and retailers to quickly and seriously reformulate processed foods thatarenot covered by EU quality systems, where improvements toward healthier composition can be achieved‘, and
– ‘welcomes the Commission’s intention to launch initiatives to stimulate such reformulation, including by setting maximum levels of sugar, fat and salt in some processed foods, and urges the Commission to closely monitor progress on reformulation.’ Emphasizing that
– ‘such reformulations should also seek to minimize health risks posed by food additives, food, pesticide residues and harmful chemicals‘ (para. 90).
2.5) Nutrition policies
MEPs then dwell on the need to
– ‘a range of comprehensive and complementary measures, including regulatory measures and consumer awareness campaigns to reduce the public health burdenofexcessive consumption of highly processed foods and other products high in salt, sugar and fat.’ Therefore requesting ‘that it be lent
– special attention to baby foods and other foods with specific functions, and that the following be adopted
– ‘an effective, EU-wide regulatory approach to address the exposure of children and adolescents to the advertising and marketing of processed foods high in fat, sugar and salt in broadcast and digital media‘ (para. 90).
To extreme evils, such as the dominance of junk-food in the food supply aimed at minors (5,6), extreme remedies.
#SDG3(good health and wellbeing), #SDG12(sustainable production and consumption)
Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) Dario Dongo. NutriScore, Ferrero and Coldiretti against all. 7/16/21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/etichette/nutriscore-ferrero-e-coldiretti-contro-tutti
(2) Dario Dongo. Farm to Fork, resolution in Strasbourg. Focus on pesticides and fertilizers. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/idee/da-farm-to-fork-a-farm-to-war-lappello-della-scienza-per-una-strategia-alimentare-resiliente/
(3) Oliver Morrison. Industry body slams ‘lazy’ scapegoating’ of processed foods in Farm to Fork’s health food strategy. Food Navigator. 21.10.21, https://bit.ly/3jzb5I7
(4) Dario Dongo. Codex Alimentarius, the NutriScore and the WHO guidelines. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 9/29/21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/etichette/codex-alimentarius-il-nutriscore-e-le-linee-guida-who
(5) Marta Strinati. Baby food, 68% is junk food. European research. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 10/30/19, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/mercati/alimenti-per-bambini-il-68-è-junk-food-ricerca-europea
(6) Marta Strinati. Nestlé to Ferrero. Almost all baby foods are harmful. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 3.9.21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/consum-attori/da-nestlé-a-ferrero-quasi-tutti-gli-alimenti-per-bambini-sono-nocivi_1
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
