2024-01-17 22:00:00
Since 2021, the 7 countries committed to Nutri-Score have put in place European governance in order to harmonize the rules for using the logo and review its calculation method. To meet this objective, scientists from the different countries involved worked together to identify the optimizations to be made to the algorithm so that the logo is better aligned with the dietary recommendations of the different countries involved, so that it takes better into account scientific knowledge and that it adapts to changes in the food supply, following the modification of the composition of products by manufacturers. In 2024, the Nutri-Score will evolve to help consumers choose products of better nutritional quality.
3 questions for Pauline Ducrot, expert in prevention and health promotion at Public Health France
What will change in 2024?
The Nutri-Score takes into account the nutritional value table as well as certain ingredients. It takes into account the content of foods and nutrients to encourage (fiber, proteins, fruits, vegetables, pulses, etc.) and the elements to limit (calories, sugars, salt, etc.). In 2024, the elements taken into account in the calculation remain generally the same but the rules for calculating the score have been revised to allow consumers to compare products even better according to their nutritional quality. For drinks specifically, the presence of sweeteners is now taken into account in order to prevent manufacturers from using these additives instead of sugar to improve the rating of their products. Diet sodas containing sweeteners will no longer be rated B, but from C to E.
Thus, the rating of certain fatty fish and oils rich in good fats will improve while that of other products that are still too sweet or too salty will deteriorate. In addition, it will be easier to spot products made from wholemeal flour, rich in fiber, which will now have better scores than their refined equivalents. Finally, poultry will be better classified than red meat, the consumption of which should be limited.
Many products will therefore see their score change, between 30 and 40% of products are affected. It is not the composition of the products that changes but the way in which their score is calculated.
When will these changes take place?
In Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands, the new algorithm came into force on January 1, 2024. In France, the regulatory process prior to the implementation of this new calculation method is underway. The draft decree has been submitted to the European Commission, and delays may take 3 or 6 months (in the event of detailed opinion from another country), entry into force will be effective at the end of January or the end of April 2024.
Then, manufacturers and distributors will have a period of 2 years to bring their packaging into compliance and apply the new Nutri-Score.
Where are we with the deployment of Nutri-Score in France and other European countries?
France was the first country committed to Nutri-score since 2017. It was joined by 6 other countries: Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and the Netherlands.
At the start of 2024, 1,359 brands were committed to Nutri-Score on the French market. The list of these brands can be consulted on the Public Health France website.
Since the implementation of the logo, the estimated market share of the brands involved has continued to increase to reach 58% of sales volumes in 2022.
Furthermore, 99.6% of French people have already seen or heard of the logo in December 2023, i.e. around +7 points compared to 2020. It appears more and more anchored in the daily lives of consumers since a third of French people declare spontaneously use it to assess the nutritional quality of the products they purchase, an increase of 20 points compared to 2020.
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