Nutri-Score: A Unified Front-of-Pack Label for Nutritional Transparency
After the adaptation of Nutri-Score by different European countries (France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Switzerland), it became the most used front-of-pack label scoring system for the European food industry. It is based on a scale of 5 colors ranging from dark green through yellow to dark orange and it has the purpose of optimizing the accessibility and understanding of the nutritional quality of products.
Streamlining Nutri-Score Calculations with BESTMIX® Recipe Management
Since its early introduction, BESTMIX® Software embedded the Nutri-Score calculations in its equation module in BESTMIX® Recipe management. It’s a favorable module to many of our customers since it offers a much better alternative to the separate sheets and tools for calculating the Nutri-Score results of their products manually. BESTMIX® Recipe Management automatically calculates the correct Nutri-Score by setting up the formula in the Equation Manager module. Based on the result of the equation, the score can be visualized on the product specification and used as a base for artwork on labels.
Navigating the Upcoming Changes: EU's Update on Nutri-Score Algorithm
Recently, the EU steering committee of Nutri-Score has released an updated document (https://www.santepubliquefrance.fr/media/files/02-determinants-de-sante/nutrition-et-activite-physique/nutri-score/q-a-en ) explaining the changes for the new algorithm compared to the original one (Nutri-Score 2017). It is expected that the regulatory procedures will be finalized by December 31, 2023, and the updated algorithm will be implemented in all countries listed above. This would mean that all products that are newly placed in the market will need to be calculated with the updated algorithm. Products that are already labelled with the original algorithm would be subjected to a transition period of 24 months and would need to be labelled with the updated algorithm by December 31st, 2025 at the latest.
Embracing Progress: Seamlessly Transitioning to the New Nutri-Score Algorithm
As Nutri-Score is of such importance to the food industry, BESTMIX® Software updates and provides the calculations to their customers. Customers who want to go from the first to the second version of the algorithm should contact their consultant or account manager. After the short implementation, the user is able to choose which calculation they want to run, with the original one or the updated one, for his products and corresponding labels.
