Informe del Comité Científico de la Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (AESAN) sobre la aplicación en España del sistema Nutri-Score de información sobre la calidad nutricional de los alimentos
- Montaña Cámara Hurtado
- Carlos Alonso Calleja
- Rosa María Giner Pons
- Elena González Fandos
- Jordi Mañes Vinuesa
- José Alfredo Martínez Hernández
- Esther López García
- Victoria Moreno-Arribas
- María del Puy Portillo Baquedano
- David Rodríguez Lázaro
- Magdalena Rafecas Martínez
- Marta García Solano
- Enrique Gutiérrez González
- Mª José Yusta Boyo
ISSN: 1885-6586
Year of publication: 2020
Issue: 31
Pages: 77-96
Type: Article
More publications in: Revista del Comité Científico de la AESAN
Abstract
Non-communicable diseases are the main cause of morbidity and mortality in Europe. Imbalances in the intake of salt and some nutrients, particularly fats, sugars or fibre, among others, are the main preventable risk factors with regard to these diseases. One of the tools of public health policies to promote healthy diets is nutrition labelling, which is regulated in the European Union by Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers. This regulation enables the possibility of using, in a complementary and voluntary way, a system of front-of-pack nutrition labelling in order to make the use and understanding of the mandatory nutritional information easier for consumers, favouring healthier choices, and encouraging manufacturers to make products with a better nutritional composition. Among the front-of-pack nutrition labelling schemes, the Nutri-Score system should be highlighted. It is a graphic system developed in France based on the use of a letters and colours code to inform consumers, in a simple way, of the nutritional quality of food and drinks in addition to the mandatory nutritional information set forth by European legislation. The purpose of this report is to respond to the request for the opinion of the Scientific Committee on the suitability of the adaptation of the Nutri-Score system by incorporating the content of olive oil in its algorithm. In answer to the question raised, a review of the front-of-pack nutrition labelling models used in the WHO European Region has been conducted, with a special focus on the model applied in the United Kingdom and Nutri-Score in France. The value scale used is described and the amendments made are explained, including the one corresponding to olive oil. The Scientific Committee considers that the Nutri-Score adaptation proposal including olive oil improves the consideration of a product, which presents nutritional benefits based on its oleic acid content, and entails an improvement regarding this front-of-pack nutrition labelling system. It is necessary to keep identifying other aspects that may be incorporated into the Nutri-Score system for the nutritional assessment of foods and drinks usually found in the Spanish diet.