Serge Hercberg is one of the 320 scientists and health professionals who are asking the European Commission to make Nutri-Score compulsory, as promised in 2021.
“These delays which are today taken in the decision to set up this mandatory logo for Europe are entirely linked to pressure from lobbies”, denounces Thursday, May 11 on franceinfo Serge Hercberg, epidemiologist, nutritionist and father of the Nutri-Score indicator. He is one of 320 scientists and health professionals, from 27 European countries and gathered in the “Group of EU scientists and health professionals supporting Nutri-Score”, who ask Thursday morning in a report to the Commission European Union to extend the nutritional indicator at European level. This promise was made by the Commission in 2021 and should have entered into force in 2023.
>> What you need to know about the Nutri-score, which more than 300 scientists and health professionals want to make mandatory
franceinfo: the Nutri-Score should have been extended to European level at the start of 2023, this is not the case. Do you think that the European Commission has given in to lobbies?
Serge Hercberg : Faced with the accumulation of scientific data, faced with societal demand, in particular consumer associations, one could have imagined that the European Commission would take a decision in favor of the most effective logo, the most useful to public health. But these hesitations that we observe, these delays which are taken today in the decision to set up this mandatory logo for Europe are entirely linked to the pressure from lobbies, from the large agri-food groups, from agricultural unions and Italy.
Who, among manufacturers, has an interest in Nutri-Score not being applied at European level?
So those who have an interest in there being no Nutri-Score are those who don’t really want there to be real transparency on the nutritional composition of the foods they produce. So, sausage makers, cheese makers or makers of very fatty, very sweet and salty products.
“It should be remembered that having a D or E with the Nutri-Score does not mean that it should not be consumed, it simply alerts the consumer that he must take it rather in limited quantities, not too much. frequently.”
Serge Hercberg, epidemiologist, nutritionist and father of the Nutri-Score indicatoron franceinfo
What would it change to apply it to all of Europe?
It would make it possible to force the hand of these industrialists who refuse. Today, 950 brands have accepted it, but large groups such as Ferrero, Lactalis, Coca-Cola, Mars, Mondelez, Kraft or Unilever still refuse to wear it. There are hundreds of brands, and therefore the consumer does not have the opportunity to judge the nutritional composition of products that are not labelled. We have to force the hand of these manufacturers and for that, we have to make it compulsory.
These manufacturers also say that sometimes the Nutri-Score is not reliable enough or that it is used as a communication tool when certain foods hide flaws?
We update it regularly. There was the story of the Chocapic cereals. Indeed, it is very disturbing since they were classified A. It is a very processed product, in which the industrialist who had at the start a product which contained almost 50 grams of sugar per 100 grams, goes to 40 grams, at 30 grams and 20 grams. It’s just below the threshold for it to be graded A. That’s not normal, because it’s in the same grade as other breakfast cereals that don’t contain sugar.
“Scientists had planned for regular Nutri-Score updates. A report by the European scientific committee in charge of updating Nutri-Score penalized sugary foods even more, so these famous Chocapic will go back to C. The indicator must be updated according to the progress of scientific knowledge, reformulations, innovations that are made.”
Serge Hercberg, nutritionist and father of the Nutri-Score indicatoron franceinfo
We must nevertheless remember that even if Nutri-Score is not 100% perfect, even if it will not solve all the problems on its own, there are a hundred scientific studies which show that eating foods Much better ranked on the Nutri-Score scale is accompanied by a better nutritional balance and a lower risk of disease. So it’s scientifically proven effectiveness in the face of arguments that are used by lobbies to try to discredit this public health tool.