European lawmakers need to think carefully before introducing a mandatory food-labeling system across the bloc. Nutri-Score, the current top contender, is confusing and misleading, says DW's Kate Ferguson.
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The European Union is to have a mandatory food-labeling system in place toward the end of 2022Image: picture-alliance/MAXPPP/J. Frey
Grocery shoppers of Europe unite! The European Commission is planning to introduce mandatory nutritional labeling on food packaging before the end of the year and I, a formerly befuddled and now moderately enlightened consumer, consider the front-runner flawed.
If you live in Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands or Luxembourg, you might already be familiar with the Nutri-Score. It`s a color-coded system that grades food from A to E, based on its nutritional value. The healthiest options are green, the least nutritious are red and everything in between is orange or yellow. It's like a traffic light, but far more difficult to decipher.
Over the past months, I have been baffled by the ratings given to the items in my shopping basket. Orange juice, with 100% fruit content — C. Frozen pizza? B. Humous? Also B. Olive oil? C. Nesquik cocoa powder: A!
Underlying algorithm
Questionable methodology is to blame. The Nutri-Score is calculated using an algorithm. First, a product is given a rating of between 1 and 10 in each of four "bad" categories: sugar, calories, salt and saturated fat. The higher the content, the higher the number. Then it is rated between 1 and 5 in three "good" categories: fiber, proteins and another single group which includes fruit, vegetables, pulses, nuts, rapeseed, walnut and olive oils.
The final score is the sum of the "bad" categories minus the sum of the "good." The lower the number the better. The calculations are based on 100 grams or 100 milliliters, which goes some way towards explaining how a frozen pizza (which weighs around 400 grams) could score better than olive oil, which tends to be served in drops or drizzles.
DW columnist Kate Ferguson
Advocates of the Nutri-Score, which include the French government, whose public health ministry devised it, as well as the BEUC (Bureau Europeen des Unions de Consommateurs) European consumer organization, argue that the intention is not to compare products between categories, but within. Apparently, I should be comparing frozen pizzas with each other, instead of with olive oil.
This not only undermines the logic of a common scoring system, but also assumes a level of nutritional knowledge among consumers that would reduce the need for such a system in the first place.
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Something missing
The Nutri-Score calculation, which gives the "bad" categories twice the weighting of the "good" ones, also has some notable omissions. Sweeteners such as glucose-fructose syrup don't feature at all. Nor do any other additives commonly used in processed food.
Unsurprisingly, this has attracted criticism, most notably from the Italian food industry, which was outraged at the poor ratings assigned to regional products like Parmigiano and Parma ham. The upset was so great that the Italian government launched an alternative nutritional scoring system in response. NutrInform Battery, accessible via an app, assigns ratings based on portion sizes as a percentage of daily recommended allowances.
There are misgivings about how helpful the Nutri-Score system really is for buyersImage: picture-alliance/MAXPPP/J. Frey
Lobbying power
As things stand now, industry heavyweights like Nestle (remember that A-rated cocoa powder?), Danone and McCain are lobbying to make the Nutri-Score mandatory across the European Union.
In a letter to the European Commission, they, along with other food producers, retailers, public health officials and consumer groups cite research that shows Nutri-Score to be the best-performing scheme in aiding consumers to make healthier purchasing choices in the supermarket. The research, which compared Nutri-Score to four other front-of-package labels, asked online respondents in 12 countries to rank the healthiness of a set of three pizzas, a set of three cakes and a set of three breakfast cereals.
This methodology does not strike me as the most effective or realistic way of promoting healthy eating. When I go shopping, I don't tend to linger in the aisles deciding which of three pizzas, cakes, or breakfast cereals to buy. And even if I did, shouldn't public policy be nudging me away from frozen pizza and towards the fresh bread aisle, instead of inviting me to compare which processed junk food is marginally better than the other?
Also, aren't we forgetting that the healthiest food of all doesn't have a Nutri-Score, because it doesn't come in a packet?
Call me a skeptic, but when the big makers of chocolate and confectionery, convenience food and French fries go all in to promote a particular rating system, it's worth asking questions. For a system that is supposed to offer transparency and ease of decision-making, this consumer needed way too much time to figure it out. I'm off to eat an apple (Nutri-Score: unknown.)
12 German regional 'superfoods' for a healthy year
Thanks to the marketing label "superfood," quinoa and chia seeds as well as acai and goji berries have found their way into European consumers' habits. But why not pick local products with just as many health benefits?
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H. Hollemann
Kale
Harvested from October to February, "Grünkohl," or kale, is a winter classic traditionally cooked with sausage, especially in northern Germany. But even without the meat, it's known as the "beef" of vegetables because of its high iron and protein content. Kale is also filled with antioxidants such as vitamin C, E and K, as well as folic acid, potassium, calcium and magnesium.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H. Hollemann
Beetroot
"Rote Bete" or "rote Rübe" is another German winter classic. Harvested in the fall, it can be stored for months, providing color and vitamins through the cold, dark months. A traditional German saying promotes its benefits: "It makes the weak strong, the shy courageous and the sad happy." Some studies even claim that the mineral-rich veggie can boost your sex drive. Superfood, you said?
Image: picture-alliance/Arco Images/Larssen G.
Nettles
They sting and they spread quickly, so the wild plants generally aren't welcome in gardens. Yet "Brennnessel" has such surprisingly high levels of nutrients that when it was first analyzed in a lab, scientists couldn't believe the results. For instance, it has two to four times as much iron as spinach, more calcium than milk and tons of vitamin A, C and E. Once blanched, the sting disappears.
Image: wilderwegesrand.de
Cherries
Whether sweet ("Süsskirschen") or sour ("Sauerkirschen"), the cherry is an important fruit in Germany. Cherries can help prevent muscle damage and cardiovascular disease, boost the immune system and improve brain function. Studies have also found that as a rare natural food source of melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle, they are good against insomnia.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Gollnow
Blueberries
Blueberries are one of the fruits with the highest level of antioxidants, as well as all kinds of nutrients allowing it to rank high on most superfood lists. Called "Heidelbeere" or "Blaubeere" in German, the berries are particularly celebrated in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern town of Eggesin, which dubbed itself "Blueberry City," holding a festival and electing a Blueberry Queen every year.
Image: Colourbox
Sea buckthorn
"Sanddorn" berries contain way higher amounts of vitamin C than lemons and oranges. For vegans, it's also an interesting fruit for its vitamin B12 content — otherwise only found in animal products. Even though they're promoted as a typical Baltic Sea specialty in Germany, plantations were actually only introduced in the 1960s, to boost the health of the East German population.
Image: Colourbox
Blackcurrant
Superfood promoters keep talking about China's goji berries, but blackcurrant — native to northern Europe and Asia — boasts just as many vitamins and health benefits. And "Schwarze Johannisbeere" only have 1/7 of the goji berries' calories — unless you consume them as sugar-loaded liqueur or jam, of course.
Image: Colourbox
Apples
We all know that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. "Äpfel" are Germany's most important fruit. Every German eats on average 17 kilos of them a year. They're a great low-fat snack, with antioxidant powers that are good for the brain, the heart, skin and bones. They also lower risks of developing type 2 diabetes. Thanks to current storage technologies, local apples are available all year round.
Image: pictue-alliance/dpa/P. Pleul
Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkins were originally domesticated in the Americas, but they have since spread around the world and grow well in Germany too. The seeds, "Kürbiskerne" in German, are a great source of protein, omega 3 essential fatty acids and fiber, and they also have a high concentration of minerals such as magnesium and zinc.
Image: Colourbox
Flaxseeds
Loaded with nutrients, flax contains high levels of protein, fiber, vitamin B and minerals. Proof that traditional German dishes can also be vegetarian, a typical combination in the country is to serve potatoes with quark (a dairy product) and flax oil, also known as linseed oil or "Leinöl" in German. And the seeds are also often included in muesli.
Image: picture-alliance/ZB/P. Pleul
Brussels sprouts
There are many Brussels sprouts haters out there; because of their bitterness, it is admittedly an acquired taste. It might help to know they are nutrient bombs: 100 grams will more than cover the recommended daily intake of vitamin C and K. These veggies, known in German as "Rosenkohl," are a good source of iron, folic acid and potassium and they're even believed to support hormone balance.
Image: Colourbox
Rose hip
At the end of the fall and in the winter, you can find in German forests wild rose hip fruits, or "Hagebutten," which contain lots of vitamin C and carotenoids. Rose hip herbal teas and jam are popular in Germany — but the products sold in stores are often made from imported fruit. A farm in Baden-Württemberg, however, has specialized in cultivating organic rose hips.
