ANP extension
ANNOUNCEMENTS••Edited
The Nutriscore, which indicates how healthy a particular product is with labels A, B, C, D or E, can be useful in encouraging a healthier diet. However, there is still room for improvement on the logo. The Health Council writes it in a council to the Secretary of State Van Ooijen for Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS).
The logo on the front of food packaging indicates with a letter and color how a product “scores” in terms of the nutritional values it contains, such as the amounts of salt, sugar, fiber and protein. For example, sauces, sweets and some spreads receive a red score. The green score goes to fruits, vegetables and legumes. This way, consumers can compare products within a certain product group (such as dairy products or breakfast cereals).
The Nutriscore derives from an algorithm composed by a group of international scientists. The Health Council has now looked at this algorithm and the resulting logo to determine if it is in line with other dietary guidelines that apply in the Netherlands, such as the Schijf van 5.
The red scores currently appear to be in line with Dutch dietary guidelines. Things continue to go badly especially with the green scores, concludes the Department of Health. For example, white and whole grain products like pasta now receive the same Nutriscores. Dutch dietary guidelines recommend opting for the fiber-rich variants.
Useful addition
Nutrition scores for canned fruits and vegetables can also be improved, the Council advises. According to the Council, canned vegetables and legumes that receive a B rating (light green) contain too much salt for that rating. Canned fruit still gets the A rating, even if a lot of sugar has been added.
The Health Board therefore calls the Nutriscore “not perfect.” However, the bottom line is that it can be a useful addition to existing nutritional information like the Wheel of Five. This applies in particular to people who are not yet sufficiently reached by current information. The Council also recommends testing whether the score actually ensures that people make healthier choices at the supermarket.
It is now up to the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport to decide what to do with the Council’s advice on Nutriscore and if and when the logo will be officially introduced in the Netherlands.
VAT on fruit and vegetables
Dietitian and lifestyle coach Jolande van Teeffelen thinks Nutriscore can help spur a healthier diet. But to achieve this, a logo alone is not enough. She also recommends eliminating VAT on healthy products, such as fruit and vegetables, and increasing VAT on unhealthy foods, “in order to also have the right economic incentives”.
There are even plans to influence food choices through the IVA. The Rutte III cabinet increased the VAT on fruit and vegetables in 2019 from 6 to 9 percent, in 2022 Rutte IV decided to do it again want to lower. The coalition agreement also stipulates that the VAT on soft drinks must be increased.
