The Nutri-Score simplified nutritional labeling system came into force in April, but only lasted a short time.
The Nutri-Score nutritional logo, which aims to show whether a food you are about to buy is more or less healthy, is going to end, after the Ministry of Agriculture deemed it illegal. But what’s at stake?
It should be remembered that on June 11, the government published a new decree on simplified food labeling, which came into force the following day, and which annulled the current decree, considering it illegal and incorrectly assessing nutritional profiles.
In a statement, sent following a request from Lusa for clarification on the decree, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries explained that the issue was”the use of the Nutri-Score scale, a system for evaluating nutritional profiles that can be used on food packaging and places, for example, virgin and extra virgin olive oil in a worse classification than some artificially produced soft drinks”.
The decree mentions that “the adoption of any simplified nutritional labeling system”, which is optional and voluntary for economic operators, “must take into account models that are suitable for Portuguese food products”, giving the Directorate-General for Food and Veterinary (DGAV) competence in the matter.
The statement said that the order that was in force, “in addition to being illegal, is contrary to the positions taken by Portugal, which has always advocated harmonization through a system at European level”.
The note adds that the DGAV, following a study that tested the algorithm on which the Nutri-Score’ simplified labeling system is based on foods, “expressed reservations “, since”the results were not consistent with dietary recommendations”.
The ordinance points out that this system “leads to confusing classifications and does not take into account the model of Portuguese food products”.
The Nutri-Score nutritional logo, a small image with colored segments displayed on packaging, was based on a scale from A to E and from green to red, which is intended to show whether the food you are buying is more or less healthy, with green showing that the product is healthy and red that it is unhealthy.
At the beginning of April, Portugal adopted the “nutritional traffic light” system as a measure to promote healthy eating, supported by the Order of Nutritionists and Deco – the Portuguese Association for Consumer Protection.
Justifying the order, former Secretary of State for Health Promotion Margarida Fernandes Tavares claimed that the Nutri-Score color label had “adequate scientific robustness”.
The decree referred the development of the process for adopting this system to the Directorate-General for Health, namely defining the procedural process to be followed by economic operators in joining the system and a procedural support system for operators to join.
The order, dated March 22, came into force on April 5, three days after the new Democratic Alliance government took office, which has now revoked it.
Nutritionists and consumers supported it, but there was no consensus
The Nutri-score color labels were supported by the Order of Nutritionists and Deco Proteste, but there was no consensus on the effectiveness of the tool.
Deco Proteste defended the benefits of Nutri-Score, and even launched an open letter which, according to a publication on the organization’s website, received “more than 2,500 signatures” and was sent to the outgoing government, in which it called for food labels to include the Nutri-Score classification, as it helps consumers “make healthier choices on a daily basis”.
This support, however, contradicted the conclusions of the study ‘Foods classified with Nutri-Score on the Portuguese market: monitoring nutritional characteristics in 2021’, published by the National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA).
INSA monitored 268 Nutri-Score (NS) products , collecting nutritional information along with the NS classification of various food categories available on the Portuguese market and comparing their sugar and salt content with the reference values of the Integrated Strategy for the Promotion of Healthy Eating (EIPAS), based on the NS classification assigned.
“The vast majority (91%) of the food products evaluated do not meet the reference values defined in EIPAS for sugars and salt, when evaluated together. This is also true if only products with Nutri-Score (NS) A or B are taken into account, which theoretically have a higher nutritional quality and are perceived by consumers as healthier, with 87% exceeding these reference values,” read the study’s conclusions.
These concerns were also at the basis of a motion by the Science, Education and Culture Committee of the Council of States of Switzerland passed in mid-March by the Swiss parliament (National Council) by 102 votes, which argues that a balanced diet is fundamental to health and not an isolated view of a single product, and that the Swiss food pyramid is the most important consumer information tool, not a comparative label.