Description
The Nutri-Score is a front-of-pack label from A (dark green) to E (red) that sums up a food’s nutritional quality per 100 g or 100 ml, so that two breakfast cereals or two pizzas can be compared at a glance. It was launched in France in 2017 by the public health agency Santé publique France and is now recommended by France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
The score adds points for fibre, protein, fruit, vegetables and pulses, and takes them off for calories, saturated fat, sugar and salt, and since the update for sweeteners. A scientific committee of the seven countries revised the formula in 2023: the new version applies in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands since 2024 and in France since March 2025. Brands use it free of charge, after registering with Santé publique France.
It is still voluntary. The food observatory Oqali counted 1,462 committed companies in June 2025, covering about 63 % of sales volumes, the first fall after 64 % in 2023 and 2024. Danone removed the logo from its drinkable yoghurts in 2024 when the new formula rated them as drinks; UFC-Que Choisir called its argument “pseudo-nutritionnel” and asked for a mandatory Nutri-Score. Italy leads the countries opposing it in the EU.
Strengths
- One letter on the front of the pack replaces a nutrition table that few shoppers read, and works within each aisle.
- The formula is public, set by scientists from seven countries and revised in 2023 to rate sugary drinks and whole grains better.
- It costs brands nothing, and Santé publique France publishes who is committed to it.
Weaknesses
- It is voluntary, so brands can leave when their score drops, as Danone and Bjorg did with some yoghurts.
- It rates nutrition only: it says nothing about additives, processing, pesticides, origin or packaging.
- An A-rated ultra-processed product and a D-rated olive oil show its limits when products from different aisles are compared.
Who it is for
Shoppers who buy packaged food and want to compare products of the same kind quickly, especially parents choosing cereals, biscuits or ready meals.