Santé publique France and Open Food Facts are partnering to promote the open sharing of food product data and encourage the use of Nutri-Score

cp-open-food-fact-061218.pdf

Published on 6 December 2018

Santé publique France, which is responsible for rolling out the simplified Nutri-Score nutritional labeling system, has partnered with the Open Food Facts association to improve consumer information and promote the use of Nutri-Score. The goal is to optimize the association’s open, collaborative food database and support the Open Food Facts mobile app. To date in France, 90 companies have committed to displaying the logo on their products. Recommended in France, Belgium, and Spain, Nutri-Score continues its rollout across Europe.

A partnership with Open Food Facts to facilitate the adoption of Nutri-Score

Open Food Facts is a project developed by a non-profit, industry-independent organization, with volunteer contributors from around the world. It is an open, collaborative database containing 700,000 products listed by 16,000 contributors across 200 countries. Anyone can use this database for any purpose, as long as the data source is cited. The Open Food Facts app provides the Nutri-Score for all listed food products, including those from brands that do not display it on the packaging. Knowing the Nutri-Score of a product line allows consumers to compare them at a glance and make informed choices.

To contribute to the development of Nutri-Score, Santé publique France and Open Food Facts are announcing their partnership. This will enable the continued development of the Open Food Facts database to incorporate data provided by manufacturers and, eventually, offer a service that facilitates Nutri-Score calculations for consumers and manufacturers.

France, Belgium, and Spain Recommend Nutri-Score in the European Union

Following France and Belgium, Spain is the third country to commit to Nutri-Score within the European Union. Maria Luisa Carcedo, Spain’s Minister of Health, Consumer Affairs, and Social Welfare, emphasized that this system is proving to be the most effective for changing dietary behaviors.

Santé publique France welcomes Nestlé’s decision not to apply nutritional labeling on its products that competes with Nutri-Score. This decision, which supports public health and better consumer information, aligns with the findings of a recent ^study¹ conducted in 12 countries that compared five nutritional logos. The study found that Nutri-Score, which uses both a color-coded system and a summary, graduated indicator, appears to be the best option for helping consumers make the best dietary choices across various socio-cultural contexts.