Valora introduces Nutri-Score for own brands
Published: Friday, May 31st 2024, 09:30
Updated At: Friday, May 31st 2024, 09:40
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From June, kiosk operator Valora will be labeling its products with the Nutri-Score nutritional value label and the Eco-Score eco-label. In doing so, it is taking a different approach to Migros or Emmi, for example, which are abolishing the Nutri-Score.
Valora is the first retailer in Switzerland to print both labels on its own products, the company announced on Friday. In future, customers buying products under the "OK" and "Ready To Go" brands will be able to use the Nutri-Score to find out about the nutritional content and the Eco-Score to find out about the environmental impact of the food.
"The two labels not only help our customers to choose products, they are also an incentive for us to continuously develop even more sustainable and healthier alternatives for our own brands," Valora's Head of Sustainability Maja Rüegg is quoted as saying in the press release.
The Eco-Score is a label that assesses the ecological value of the product based on categories such as water consumption, CO2 emissions, packaging or seasonality. It was developed by the company Beelong with the help of the hotel management school École hôtelière de Lausanne. The label is not yet very widespread in Switzerland.
This is not the case with the Nutri-Score, which is widely used in Europe and is used by large food companies, including Nestlé. The label, developed by the French health authority in collaboration with the food industry and consumer advocates, provides information on the nutritional value of food.
The Nutri-Score compares processed foods within categories (e.g. different types of breakfast cereal) and rates them on a scale from A (most balanced nutritional composition) to E (most unbalanced composition). Calorie content and nutrients such as sugar, salt or saturated fatty acids have a negative effect on the score, while fiber, protein or the content of fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and certain oils have a positive effect.
Criticism of the labels
However, the Eco-Score is often criticized for misleading consumers. Some products that would receive a poor grade on the Nutri-Score scale score well on the Eco-Score. Because the two food traffic lights look so similar, this could give the impression that it is an A on the Nutri-Score scale instead of the Eco-Score scale.
But the Nutri-Score is also repeatedly criticized. Migros and milk processor Emmi recently announced that they would no longer be using the label in future. Migros argued that retaining the label was too expensive compared to its benefits. Emmi stated that comparability was not possible because many other manufacturers did not use the Nutri-Score.
The label is also an issue in Parliament. The Federal Council must define the use of the Nutri-Score in more detail. Politicians were bothered by the fact that, for example, products with artificial sweeteners (such as Cola Zero) scored better than those with fructose (e.g. apple juice).
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