Spain adopts 'Nutri-Score' labelling for supermarket food

In response to requests of five major global food and drink producers, the 'Nutri-Score' labels will begin to reach the shelves from this week.

Designed across the food industry, the scale is based upon universal algorithms which weigh up 'good' nutrients against 'bad' ones per 100 grams of content and give an overall score.

A sliding scale of colours from red, or grade E, which is the worst, to green or grade A which is the healthiest, applies to each item of food, down through light green (B), yellow (C) and orange (D) gives consumers an idea of whether what they are buying has nutritional value, and how much, and whether it contains large amounts of sugars, saturated fats, salt, calories, fibre or protein.

Nutri-Score has been in use in France for nearly two years, since last January and is soon to reach Belgium and Portugal along with Spain.

Labels will be compulsory and will be placed on the front of all packaged groceries.

It will take up to a year before labels are on all foodstuffs in Spain, the health ministry says, but some supermarkets have opted to get ahead – Eroski started rolling out the Nutri-Score system in September and expects to have it in place in all its branches nationwide by the end of this year.