As the Nutri-Score comes under strong criticism in Italy, MEPs in favour of making this simplified nutrition labelling system compulsory in the EU came out in force on Wednesday 15 January in Strasbourg. MEPs criticized Italy’s position on a label that assigns an overall nutritional rating (A B C D E F) to processed foods and beverages based on their nutritional quality, which the country considers to be a political tool.
At a press conference, they defended this label as “simple, intuitive and understandable for the consumer”, as they had done in November when they called for the signature of the European Citizens' Initiative calling for the Nutri-Score to be implemented throughout the EU (see EUROPE 12365/18).
Stressing that the European Commission foresees harmonization of the food labelling system in its roadmap for the European Green Deal, Michèle Rivasi (Greens/EFA, France) said: “The Nutri-Score must be clearly named”.
In December, Matteo Salvini called the Nutri-Score a “secret pact” against Italian specialities, since products such as ‘prosciutto’ or ‘gorgonzola’ are poorly rated.
According to Professor Serge Hercberg, the designer of this label, “Nutri-Score does not aim to penalize a country, but to help consumers guide their choices”. He added: “Foods classified as D and E should not be excluded from the diet, but consumed in smaller quantities”. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang and Sophie Petitjean)