Consumers' organisations want Nutri-Score made mandatory

Seven European organisations for consumer rights demand that Nutri-Score, a better version of the traffic light food information system, be made mandatory. They have started an online petition, which needs to get a million signatures before it can be brought to the European Commission.

Enforce label

Nutri-Score, a label of French origin which was officially launched in Belgium last month, attaches a colour and letter to a food product depending on its overall effect on consumers’ health. The label takes into account positive effects like fibres, proteins, nuts, fruit and vegetables) and deducts points for things like saturated fatty acids, sugars and salt. The total score can be anything from A (green) to E (red).

Research has shown that the Nutri-Score not only has a positive effect on what consumers buy, it also can push food producers to adapting their products’ contents by reducing the amount of salt or sugar. However, there is no obligation to use the label, so many producers are not all that tempted to use it.

Therefore seven European organisations have started a campaign to make the label mandatory in the European Union, creating an online petition. In order to be successful and have the European Commission debate about the topic, the petition needs at least a million signatures.