The government will approve the Nutri-Score front-of-pack label, despite the controversy that is generating in the country. "It will not be mandatory but it will be a basis for fighting childhood obesity." Some Mediterranean diet products call for their exclusion.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has confirmed that it will be approved before the end of this year and that, although it is not compulsory, "it will serve as an incentive for companies to improve the nutritional information on their products". The objective is to fight childhood obesity and provide consumer information. It will also be used as a basis for restricting advertising of less healthy foods.
What is Nutri-Score?
Nutri-Score is a nutrition label that converts the nutritional value of products into a simple code consisting of 5 letters, each with its own color. Each product is awarded a score based on a scientific algorithm. This formula takes into account the nutrients to avoid (energy value and the amount of sugars, saturated fats and salt) and the positive ones (the amount of fiber, protein, fruit, vegetables and nuts, rapeseed oil, walnut oil and olive oil).
The algorithm gives points for each element in the nutrition table (per 100 g or ml) - that means bad nutrients as well as good nutrients. We then subtract the positive points from the negative ones and convert the result to the Nutri-Score table.
Adapted to the Mediterranean diet
Nutri-Score is generating a great deal of controversy in Spain, especially among food manufacturers, which are a gastronomic reference and associated with the Mediterranean diet. They defend their quality against a scheme considered simplistic and focused only on certain aspects.
Products with a high natural fat content are adversely affected. This has been the case for extra virgin olive oil, for which an exception has been requested. The government has asked the Nutri-Score Governance Committee to consider that, once the system is approved in Spain, no other country can force Spanish olive oil producers to implement the label on their products.
In no case, according to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, will other foods be treated in the same way so that there will be no more exclusions. In the case of olive oil there are scientific reasons to argue for the change but not for other products such as Iberian meats or cheese.