2024-01-03 11:12:00
Nutri-scores: colors and letters affixed to packaging to indicate the nutritional quality of foods. These assessments will be adapted. In total, 40% of products are affected. Explanations.
Since 2018, a nutri-score has appeared on products in Belgium. Five letters going from A to E to evaluate the nutritional quality of foods. This “rating” is awarded by independents from seven European countries. The balance is as follows: on the one hand, the positive ingredients (fiber, fruits and vegetables, proteins), on the other hand, the negative ones (saturated fats, sugar and salt, caloric materials).
At the start of 2024, the quotation will change. This will lead to changes for 40% of products on the market. The reason? “The updates aim for a better match between the scores and the dietary recommendations of the different countries which have joined the approach,” explains Laurence Doughan, expert in nutritional policy at the FPS Public Health.
What changes
We note that from now on, the only drink to obtain an A will be water. Whole milk even goes from B to C, just like diet sodas. To give other examples, drinking yogurts will move from B to D. Chocolate cereals and ground meats will also move to red.
The goal is to combat sugars, sweeteners and saturated fats. “The scores will be more consistent with dietary recommendations,” specifies the expert. Conversely, other products, such as olive oil or even products rich in whole grains, will come closer to A. The idea is always the same: to encourage the consumer to choose healthier products.
The nutri-score is not obligatory
In our country, it is not necessary to add a nutri-score. Therefore, there is a risk of seeing it removed by companies whose products are less well rated. This is not really a concern for Laurence Doughan: “Maybe it will happen, but it will be pointed out by consumer associations and consumers themselves who were used to seeing a nutri-score and are seeing it disappear. For the sake of transparency, it’s not a great image.”
At the request of manufacturers, a two-year transition period is planned to finalize all of the new nutri-scores.
Nutri-Score diet consumption
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