Portugal officially adopts the Nutri-Score. Currently, 8 European countries have followed the formula voluntarily: France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and now Portugal.
According to the Portuguese Government, many points influenced the decision to adopt this nutrition labelling system. We’ve summarized them here.
First of all, Portugal implements Nutri-Score as a public fitness tool to promote healthy eating.
In Portugal, obesity affects approximately 53% of the population. Since obesity puts other people at risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the government needs to take action.
Essentially, the government needs to take steps to make healthier dining choices. The results of a survey conducted in France suggest that the Nutri-Score is effective in this regard.
Simplified labeling systems have been endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a way to prevent chronic diseases. Among the nutrition labeling systems available, the Nutri-Score is considered one of the most effective.
The Nutri-Score nutrition labelling formula evolved in France in 2017. Its set of rules ranks foods from -15 for “healthiest” products to 40 for “least healthy” products. Based on this score, the product receives a letter with its corresponding code: from dark green (A) to dark orange (E).
The European Commission is committed to establishing a harmonised and mandatory FOP nutrition labelling (FOP) system. Beset by delays, the industry still doesn’t know what etiquette will be followed at the European level.
In the absence of a mandatory nutrition labelling system, Portugal has observed a proliferation of other simplified labelling systems. The government fears such measures will make it “difficult” or “confusing” for consumers to make choices. In addition, some labels are less effective than the Nutri-Score and may simply inspire the intake of less healthy products.
Portugal is convinced that Nutri-Score, especially after the update of its algorithm, has “adequate clinical robustness”. The labelling formula has been rolled out in European countries and has already been followed by several operators, including consumer goods giants Nestlé and Danone.
Since its inception, the Nutri-Score ruleset has been updated twice: once in 2022 and once in 2023, respectively, for food and beverages.
In the newer version, nuts and seeds are no longer included in the “fruits, vegetables, legumes” component, but in the “fats, oils, nuts, and seeds” component. Other tweaks come with greater differentiation between sweetened and unsweetened dairy products. , as well as among other types of cheese.
The updated beverage ruleset reduces the classification of beverages that contain non-nutritive sweeteners, such as soft drinks. The only beverage that can achieve the highest score on Nutri-Score A now is water. caloric beverages, will be classified between B and E.
The Nutri-Score is described as a “graded scale” nutritional labeling system, in that it provides a score using letters (A to E) and colors (dark orange to dark orange).
The Portuguese government suspects that such a task would be suitable for its population. According to a study cited by the Portuguese National Program for the Promotion of Healthy Diets (PNPAS), 40% of respondents do not understand the nutritional facts on food labels. This problem is “considerably” greater among the less educated.
Research suggests that color-based nutrition labeling systems may lead to an increased number of labels.
Nutri-Score is supported by many people, food giants (Nestlé, Danone, Kellogg), governments (France, Germany, Netherlands, etc. ) and even the United Nations International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
But it didn’t win everyone over. The Nutri-Score has been banned in Romania and brands of so-called classic foods in Italy and Spain have frequently opposed the labelling system.
Opposition to the government’s resolution has already been observed in Portugal. The National Association of Beef (Associação Portuguesa de Industriais de Carnes) has told us that it agrees with the resolution.
“We’re still in the research phase,” CEO Graça Mariano told FoodNavigator. “We hope he doesn’t have a lot of followers. “
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