A, B, C, D, E: five letters displayed on food products, accused of discriminating against products of excellence, of destroying age-old traditions, of harming the identity of a country, Italy… Without fear excesses and excesses, the transalpine country is at the forefront of the battle against Nutri-score, the nutritional logo adopted by its French neighbor and other European countries. A fight that has been brewing for several years, mixing economic interests defended by pressure groups, stifling of debate and personal threats.
The spark was lit in May 2020, when the European Commission presented its Farm to Fork strategy for healthy and sustainable food, in which the principle of a nutritional labeling common to all Member States of the European Union (EU). A major issue at a time when 53% of the European population is overweight, 22% suffers from obesity, and Europe is seeing an explosion in chronic food-related diseases. The community executive was to make a legislative proposal before the end of 2022, but faced with the revolt of some of the member states, it is holding back its cards, and explains that it is finalizing the impact study before deciding.
In all countries that have implemented nutrition logos on the front of their food – the traffic light system in the UK, the black warning logos adopted in parts of Latin America, the Nutri-score in France, etc –, these have aroused outcry from industrialists. The implementation of labeling on a European scale is no exception to the rule, with the difference that the search for consensus between the Twenty-Seven turns into a diplomatic battle.
Until this summer, the Nutri-score seemed to have a head start on the other logos tested in Europe (the “green lock” in the Nordic countries, the “Nutrinform” for a time pushed by Italy, before to be abandoned). This system, which assigns a grade from A to E and a color from green to red, depending on the composition of the products, has been adopted by seven European countries: it is known to consumers, validated by a hundred studies published in journals peer-reviewed scientists, acclaimed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer…
An “absurd” system
Its adoption in France, in 2017, as official labeling (but not compulsory), had been fiercely opposed, but little by little, the Nutri-score imposed itself on the agri-food sector. More than 400 companies have pledged to display it, representing more than half of sales volumes. The logo has also spread in Europe with the accession of the Benelux countries, Germany, Spain and Switzerland, with a political governance committee as well as an independent scientific council.
You have 85.61% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.