The Nutri-Score as an extended nutrition labeling model in food retailing
- 17.01.2022
- English Articles
- Louisa Marczuk
- Anke Möser
- Ramona Teuber
Peer-Reviewed Manuscript (original contribution) received: February 02, 2021 Revision accepted: May 04, 2021
A stocktaking
Introduction and goals
Under EU Regulation No 1169/2011 all foods must be labeled with a nutrition facts table [1]. This is intended to increase transparency and enable consumers to make informed purchase decisions. Despite this information, studies show that some consumers find it hard to assess food by its nutritional properties and therefore would prefer an expanded and simpler food labeling model [2]. In addition to ingredients lists and nutrition facts tables, EU countries can choose to add new simpler labeling models using graphic symbols [3]. In France, the Nutri-Score was approved as an expanded nutrition labeling model at the end of 2017 [4]. The goal of the Nutri-Score is to provide intuitively understandable information that enables consumers to assess the nutritional quality of processed and packaged food at a glance. Since the German legislation introducing the Nutri-Score came into effect on 6 November 2020, German companies can now also use the labeling model with legal certainty [5].
Expanding the Nutri-Score to more and more food products is intended to improve comparability between foods in the same product category as regards their nutritional value or nutrient content, regardless of the consumer’s nutrition knowledge. This is intended to foster healthier choices without limiting access to less healthy products [3, 6].
Abstract
The Nutri-Score has been available for use with legal certainty by companies in France since the end of 2017 and in Germany since November 2020. Based on data from the Mintel Group’s Global New Product Database (GNPD), this study compares which products have been labeled with the Nutri-Score by which distributor (manufacturer or food retailer) in France and Germany up to now, and whether specific patterns can be identified in this respect. The results show that A and B labels currently dominate in Germany as well as in France. Nevertheless, the data for France show that over time the proportion of products with an unfavourable D or E label has increased to a statistically significant extent, and this development can also be expected on the German market. In both countries most labels are found on dairy products, main dishes and ready meals, as well as fish, meat and egg products. In terms of distributors, manufacturers dominated in both countries in the first few months after introduction of the Nutri-Score. Over time, however, the proportion of private labels increased significantly in France from around a third to just under half of all labeled products.
Keywords: front-of-pack nutrition label, Nutri-Score, retailers, national brands, private labels
