Italy has ruled against the use of Nutri-Score, claiming the nutrition labelling system could be construed as misleading.
The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) said Nutri-Score may no longer be used unless accompanied by a warning detailing the methodology behind the system, which evaluates the nutritional value of foods and some beverages based on colour-coded A to E ratings.
Consumers must be made aware when making food choices around health that the traffic-light system “is developed on the basis of an algorithm and on scientific evaluations not universally recognised and shared”, the AGCM said.
First introduced in France, and in voluntary use by food manufacturers and retailers in a number of European countries, the Nutri-Score system is currently under evaluation with a view to a possible alternative.
Last October, France’s food minister Julien Denormandie said the methodology needs reassessing as it can lead to a classification of products “not necessarily in accordance with dietary habits”.
Italy has been an opponent of Nutri-Score because it is perceived as unfairly singling out certain products such as cheese, specialist hams and olive oil, ignoring some of the health benefits and frequency consumed. In November last year, the AGCM launched its own review of the system.
The Authority said then: “Food products are divided into five categories, based on a score calculated using a complex algorithm that subtracts from the total value of the ‘unfavourable’ elements (energy, saturated fatty acids, simple sugars, sodium) that of the ‘favourable’ elements (percentage of fruit, vegetables, legumes and oil crops, fibres, proteins).”
The ensuing “judgements” without any note on methodology, the AGCM claimed, “are erroneously perceived as absolute assessments on the healthiness of a particular product, regardless of the overall needs of an individual (diet and lifestyle), the quantity and frequency of intake within a varied and balanced diet”.
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