Estonia Plans Nutri-Score Labels as Advertising Executive and Health Experts Disagree
Estonia's planned introduction of Nutri-Score food labelling has sparked debate: an advertising agency director calls it overly simplistic, while a public health researcher sees it as a useful aid for shoppers.
Estonia plans to introduce the international Nutri-Score label, which lets shoppers quickly compare the nutritional value of food products. Representatives of advertising, nutrition science and food safety discussed the system's strengths and weaknesses on the programme "Impulss" on ETV, Estonia's public broadcaster.
Nutri-Score is a front-of-pack label that rates a product on a five-level scale, from a green letter A to a red E.
Criticism: too simple a rating
Urmas Villmann, creative director at the advertising agency Kontuur, argues that the system's main flaw is that it gives products an overly simplified assessment. In his words, the label tells a person "good" or "bad", yet nobody looks into what lies behind it. As an example, he said French fries receive a green rating.
Chef Jana Guzanova pointed to a contradiction: people are urged to eat more fish, yet herring receives a D under Nutri-Score, which may put shoppers off. She acknowledged that herring contains quite a lot of salt, but said it also has healthy fats and protein.
Support: one letter instead of many figures
Taavi Tillmann, associate professor in the public health department at the University of Tartu, welcomed the arrival of the label. He explained that the system adds or subtracts points depending on sugar, salt, protein, fibre and fat content, as well as the product's energy value, and the consumer ends up with a single letter. In his view, this will make healthier choices easier without having to study ingredient lists on packaging.
Explaining the purpose
Triinu Allika, head of food safety at Estonia's Agriculture and Food Board, stressed that Nutri-Score is not meant to divide products into good and bad, but to compare products within the same category. She said it helps, for example, when choosing herring or French fries, by identifying the product with the most balanced composition. Comparable products, she said, are what should be compared.
Critics say the rating can mislead consumers.
