Responses to the updated Nutri-Score algorithms in Norway: A qualitative study among food system actors in the NewTools-project

Mari Mohn Paulsen; Bente Øvrebø; Anne Lene Løvhaug; Kaja Lund-Iversen; Lene Frost Andersen; Arnfinn Helleve; Marianne Hope Abel

doi:10.29219/fnr.v68.10254

Responses to the updated Nutri-Score algorithms in Norway: A qualitative study among food system actors in the NewTools-project

Food Nutr Res. 2024 Oct 1:68. doi: 10.29219/fnr.v68.10254. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Mari Mohn Paulsen^{1

2}, Bente Øvrebø^{1

2

3}, Anne Lene Løvhaug⁴, Kaja Lund-Iversen^{2

5}, Lene Frost Andersen⁶, Arnfinn Helleve³, Marianne Hope Abel^{2

3

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Safety, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
² Centre for Sustainable Diets, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
³ Centre for Evaluation of Public Health Measures, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
⁴ Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway.
⁵ Research Administrative Support, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
⁶ Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
⁷ Department of Physical Health and Ageing, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.

Abstract

Background: Nutri-Score is a front-of-pack label grading foods and beverages from A to E indicating nutritional quality based on the foods' favorable and unfavorable components, and a contender in the ongoing debate on the possible implementation of a harmonized mandatory front-of-pack nutrition label in the European Union. NewTools is a research project on scoring systems for foods involving 28 partners representing actors involved in the Norwegian food system.

Objective: This study aimed to explore views reported by Norwegian food system actors on the advantages and disadvantages with the updated Nutri-Score algorithms for food and beverages (2022-2023). This included Nutri-Score's performance in ranking foods according to the national food-based dietary guidelines and to the nutritional challenges in Norway.

Design: A total of 28 project partners and 15 other food system stakeholders following the NewTools-project were invited to provide responses on the Nutri-Score algorithms and their application on foods and beverages in the Norwegian food composition table. Thirteen written responses were received and analyzed with qualitative content analysis.

Results: The responses to the updated Nutri-Score varied in content, reflecting mainly concerns. Examples of perceived concerns included excessive penalty of salt content; insufficient differentiation based on fat content in meat, sausages, cheese, and milk; and several unreasonable comparisons across food categories. They also expressed a concern that Nutri-Score may stimulate to increased food processing, and some reported inconsistencies between Nutri-Score's classification of foods and national nutrition guidelines and policies.

Discussion and conclusion: Several concerns with the updated Nutri-Score algorithms were raised, including the weighting of specific nutrients, unfair outcomes when comparing across food categories, and inconsistencies with established Norwegian nutrition guidelines and policies. The results should be interpreted with caution, as some perspectives from the Norwegian food system may be missing.

Keywords: food system; front-of-pack nutrition label; nutrient profiling; stakeholder responses.

Grants and funding

This manuscript is part of the NewTools-project involving actors from across the Norwegian food system, including partners with financial and political interests. Research integrity is secured through a defined framework of collaboration. ‘The NewTools-project – Developing tools for food system transformation, including food summary scores for nutrition and sustainability’ is funded by the Research Council of Norway (Project No. 326888). The 28 project partners also contribute to a varying degree through self-financing of own activities. Neither the Research Council of Norway nor the food system actors providing written submissions in the present study influenced the analysis or writing of this paper.