How does Nutri-score work? Observe whether the food you eat every day is healthy?

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When you walk into a supermarket, you will find that the food and beverage packages on the shelves are all marked with NUTRI SCORE. But do you know what these signs mean? Besides calories and fat, what do the other nutrients mean?


Things you should know:

The European Union plans to implement a new "Nutrition Information Labeling System on the Front of Packaged Food" in 2022. The new system requires more detailed nutritional information on the front of food packaging, including energy value, fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt content, to help consumers better understand the quality of the food they buy. nutritional value.

It is important to note that this new regime only applies to packaged food products and does not include food served in restaurants or other catering establishments.
NUTRI-SCORE is a nutrition label established by the European Union and can be found on food packaging. It uses a 5-point rating system (A to E) to rate the nutritional content of foods. An A rating means the product is healthier , while an E rating is less healthy.

Nutri-score nutrition label instructions have been implemented in many European countries, including France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland.


However, for some consumers, Nutri-score's nutritional value labeling system still has some doubts and confusion. For example, what are the criteria for scoring? Why are some foods scored low but still considered healthy? These questions need to be further explored and answered.


In this article, we will explore how Nutri-score works, and how to use a QRcode scanner to get a more detailed nutrition facts list. Giving us better control over our eating habits and health so we can make healthier eating choices.



Nutri-score evaluation criteria



NUTRI-SCORE is evaluated based on five indicators:

NUTRI-SCORE Evaluation Metrics

  • total calories
  • saturated fat content
  • sugar content
  • sodium content
  • The content of dietary fiber, protein, fruits and vegetables and other nutrients

Scores are based on nutrient content. For example, the higher the sugar and saturated fat content of a food, the lower the score. Conversely, the higher the protein, dietary fiber and other nutrients in the food, the higher the score.

It should be noted that the evaluation standard of Nutri-score is based on 100 grams or 100 ml of food. In addition, different evaluation criteria may be used for some special food products, such as beverages and confectionery.





Scan to get food nutrition list



In addition to intuitively understanding the nutritional value through the Nutri-score nutrition label on the package, if you want to learn more about the nutritional content, or encounter a label without Nutri-score.

Just scan the barcode of the product with your mobile phone, open the OPEN FOOD FACTS webpage, and you can find detailed information about the food through the platform's website.



It should be noted that generally built-in mobile phones and scanners do not support the function of scanning Barcode , so you must download a third-party QR code APP. The APP I use can support all scanning formats, including QR code, Barcode and other common scanning formats, and it is very convenient to use.


▲I scanned with this APP.

What are OPEN FOOD FACTS?

OPEN FOOD FACTS (OFF for short) is an open source food database and nutrition information platform, aiming to provide consumers with transparent and reliable information about food.
Founded by Open Food Facts, a non-profit organization in France, the platform supports a multilingual interface. It currently contains nutritional and ingredient lists of more than 20,000 brands and hundreds of thousands of products around the world, as well as many other information about food.

1. Scan the Barcode of the product




2. Open the OPEN FOOD FACTS website

Through the platform, you can learn about the detailed information of this food, such as nutritional content, who is suitable for it, whether it is suitable for vegetarians, the degree of food processing, etc.

This information is provided by consumers and volunteers, and is collected through mobile phone photo identification, manual input, or data capture. The information on the platform is completely open, and anyone can use and share it freely.







In addition, OFF also provides some other features, such as customizable nutrition analysis, shopping list and so on. Through these functions, consumers can compare the nutritional value of food more conveniently and better control their eating habits.




Controversy over Nutri-score


The controversy of NUTRI SCORE mainly focuses on the scientificity and fairness of its evaluation criteria, as well as the differences between different countries or regions.





I have sorted out two common points of contention:

  1. NUTRI SCORE may unduly penalize certain products because it focuses primarily on the content of ingredients such as calories, sugar, fat and salt, without taking into account other factors such as the content of fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals, etc. This may result in lower scores for some foods that are inherently more nutritious.


  2. The NUTRI SCORE evaluation criteria may vary by country or region.

    For example, France's NUTRI SCORE gives high marks to products that contain more dairy and protein, while Belgium's NUTRI SCORE penalizes products that are high in fat and sugar. This may lead to confusion among consumers regarding the nutritional value of the product.


Proponents' arguments:

Supporters of NUTRI SCORE believe that this nutritional labeling system can help consumers better understand the nutritional value of food, so as to better control their eating habits.

  1. NUTRI SCORE can provide simple and easy-to-understand indicators to help consumers quickly identify the nutritional value of food and help consumers make healthier dietary choices.

  2. NUTRI SCORE's evaluation criteria are based on scientific research, including scientific advice from authoritative bodies such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and are therefore reliable and scientific.

  3. Widespread application of NUTRI SCORE could facilitate harmonization and consistency across European countries, thereby helping consumers to better understand and compare the nutritional value of different products.

The purpose of this food labeling mechanism is to compare the nutritional structure of "same type of food" or "different brands of the same food". If you deliberately compare olive oil with chocolate, ham and fresh milk, etc. In fact, it is essentially an unreasonable approach.

The NUTRI SCORE nutrition label has proven effective for consumers in Europe. Backed by more than 15 studies conducted in different countries.

💡In France, in 2021, more than 90% of the respondents agree that nutrition scores help them check the nutritional value of food.

Summarize


After the introduction of this article, we learned how Nutri-score works and related regulations. Its nutrition label is easy to use, not only can intuitively understand the nutritional value of food, but also has a corresponding nutritional grade score, which is convenient for us to make healthy choices more quickly when purchasing.

In addition, with a QRcode scanner, you can obtain the nutritional content of food in more detail, which is more conducive to understanding the nutritional status of your daily intake. In the future of shopping, this trick could allow us to make smarter food choices.


▲I scanned with this APP.



References

Il faut que l'Europe adopte « dès que possible » le logo Nutri-score, demanding 270 scientifiques


Le Nutri-Score, un repère utile pour connaître la qualité nutritionnelle d'un produit pour plus de 9 Français sur 10 

Nutrition Made Simple: Make Healthier Choices with Nutri-Score

EU: Nutrition labeling: Original report: "Report from the Commission of the European Parliament the Council regarding the use of additional forms of expression and presentation of the nutrition declration"



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