Abstract

Nutritional labelling is requested by the consumers in order to improve their knowledge about the nutritional content and qualities of foods. This is a justified request because it is quite difficult to understand and translate the current nutritional composition table into a useful information.

            Nutriscore is derived from a system developed by the British Food safety Agency and is based on a complex calculation including “good” (fruits, vegetables, pulses, nuts, rapeseed, walnut and olive oils, fibre, to which proteins are added in some cases) nutrients or foods, and “bad” (sodium, saturated fatty acids, sugars, energy) nutrients. The final score is translated into letters from A to E and colours (green to red). It has been tested and compared to other Front-of-Pack labels and it appears as the most understandable and efficient to help consumers to make choices which get closer toa well-balanced diet, and to the French recommendations from the PNNS (Health National Nutrition Program). It can help consumers who want to compare foods in the same categories. The second objective of these Front-of-Pack labels is to encourage the food industry to improve the recipes of processed foods.

            However some improvements are needed:

• About consumers’ information: A good nutrition is coming from a varied diet. No food product is intrinsically “bad”. It depends on the amount eaten and on the frequency of consumption. A diet exclusively composed of Nutri-Score “A” foods could not be well-balanced. Messages should be systematically added concerning diversity and amounts of foods. Indeed, the size of the portion is not sufficiently taken into consideration.
• About the algorithm. Some nutrients are not taken into account, such as iron, iodine, calcium, magnesium, polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega 6 and 3), or polyphenols, although they are important due to their roles in the organism and to the high prevalence of deficiencies or inadequate intakes in the population.
• About the complexity of the foods: Processed food products, and especially industrial ones, may contain specific ingredients and additives with sometimes uncertain effects on health; this is often related to changes in the food structure, the so-called “matrix effect” which would also need to be taken into account. For instance, dairy products are rich in saturated fatty acids but have an opposite effect compared to saturated fatty acids from meat products on cardiometabolic diseases.

Although nutritional information is only one among many ways to influence purchasing and eating behaviours, a Front of Pack Labelling is necessary to facilitate consumer’s choices. However, it should be improved by incorporating other nutritional features.

Bio

Jean-Michel Lecerf was a Medical Doctor and Endocrinologist, in the Internal Medicine Department of the University Hospital of Lille from 1982 to 2020.

He is Head of the Nutrition Department of Institut Pasteur de Lille since 1982 and Head of the Centre Prévention Santé Longévité of Institut Pasteur de Lille.

He is the author and co-author of 900 medical and scientific papers whom 300 with reviewer committee. He also authored 20 books in the field of nutrition, diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, cardiovascular-risk. He is member of many scientific societies (French Society of Nutrition (SFN), French Society of Diabetes (SFD), Académie d’Agriculture de France) and scientific advisory boards. He is also an expert for the French Agency of Food Security (ANSES), the French Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS), the Fonds Français Alimentation Santé (FFAS) and the Association Française de Normalisation (AFNOR).