Il NutriScore returns to the center of the European debate. The Competition and Market Authority has launched five investigations into the use of the traffic light nutritional label by some Italian, French, English and one German companies. The concern of the Antitrust is that this classification could be misleading for consumers and be perceived as an absolute assessment of the wholesomeness of a certain product, not taking into account the quantity generally consumed.
In particular, the companies involved are: the Italian Carrefour, GS, Pescanova and Valsoia, the French Regime Dukan Sas and Diet Lab Sas, the English Weetabix Ltd. and the German company active in the production of candies. The Authority has also launched an investigation against the owner of theYuka french app, downloadable from the Google and Apple App Stores, which aims to give a health assessment of food products based largely on the NutriScore system and which provides alternative proposals for products judged mediocre or scarce. In particular, in the case of the Yuka app, according to the AGCM the criterion is not clear on the basis of which the alternatives are ordered and proposed to the consumer.
Ma how the NutriScore method works? It is an information system, proposed in Europe by France, based on food labels, with the aim of helping the consumer to follow healthier eating habits. In other words, food products are divided into five categories, based on a score calculated using a complex algorithm based on the level of sugar, fat and salt contained in 100 grams of product and releases the result consisting of a letter and a color according to the traffic light scale: intuitively green foods are healthier than red ones. Dop, Igp and Stg products are excluded from this labeling because the affixing of additional logos could create confusion, preventing consumers from recognizing the quality mark.
Italy has taken sides against this system, also adopted by Germany and Belgium, arguing that the indications penalize the Mediterranean diet and Made in Italy products. In the forefront Coldiretti and Ferrero according to which these "simplifications" have negative effects not only for consumers, but on the entire Italian agri-food system, with certain foods such as olive oil, cured meats and cheeses that could be penalized in favor of others " .
It is a fact that the Nutriscore penalizes Italian products, because it attacks food taken individually and not included in a balanced diet or recipe. as well as theolive oil and Parmigiano Reggiano according to the system they would be yellow and orange respectively, or the San Daniele ham "red". All products penalized for the presence of fat, salt or sugar, neglecting the organoleptic properties and the quantity consumed. While french fries would be classified with a letter B and the color green.
But nutritional balance cannot be sought in a single product, one must consider the individual's lifestyle and daily diet. For Coldiretti "simplistic labels that alarm or discourage the consumption of a specific product are not acceptable". Italy, therefore, is moving to further strengthen a coalition in support of a different system from Nutriscore, more harmonized and less discriminatory, supported by other countries such as the Czech Republic, Romania, Cyprus, Greece and Hungary.
Is called NutrInform Battery. The percentage of energy, fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt contained in a single portion is indicated inside the "battery" symbol, compared to the recommended daily intake. The charged part of the battery basically represents the percentage of energy or nutrients contained in a single portion.
Currently, Made in Italy at the table is worth almost a quarter of the national GDP and, not surprisingly, food products have registered the historic export record reaching 52 billion. “We cannot allow our healthy, high-quality products to be overtaken by junk food,” concluded Coldiretti.
