Consuming food products classified as red on the Nutri-Score logo increases the risk of dying young.
- The 5 colors of the Nutri-Score are assigned according to the FSAm-NPS score (Food Standards Agency nutrient profiling system, modified version), reflecting the nutritional profile of foods.
- French researchers show that those who consume on average more poorly rated foods have increased mortality.
Consumption of foods lower ranked by the Nutri-Score logo is associated with increased mortality. These results, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and obtained by French researchers, validate the interest of Nutri-Score in the context of public health policies.
Help consumers choose products with better nutritional quality
The Nutri-Score logo was developed to help consumers choose products of better nutritional quality on the shelves, and to encourage manufacturers to improve the nutritional quality of their products. The 5 Nutri-Score colors are assigned according to the FSAm-NPS score (Food Standards Agency nutrient profiling system, modified version), reflecting the nutritional profile of foods based on their composition (per 100 g) in energy, sugars, acids saturated fat, sodium, protein, fiber, fruits and vegetables.
Links between the consumption of foods ranked higher on the Nutri-Score scale and better health have already been observed in France (SU.VI.MAX and NutriNet-Santé cohorts), in the United Kingdom (Whitehall II and EPIC -Norfolk) and Spain (SUN cohort). The new study published in the BMJ aimed to find associations between the FSAm-NPS score of foods consumed and mortality in a very large population, spread over 10 European countries.
Cancer and diseases of the circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems
A total of 501,594 participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort were included in the analyses. During follow-up between 1992 and 2015, 53,112 participants died from non-accidental causes. The researchers show that participants who consumed on average more foods with a higher FSAm-NPS score, reflecting a lower nutritional quality (corresponding to foods lower ranked by Nutri-Score), had increased mortality (total mortality and mortality linked to cancer or diseases of the circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems).
Prevention of chronic diseases
“In this context, our results, combined with all the other results available on the subject, help to show the ability of the FSAm-NPS score and the Nutri-Score to characterize the nutritional quality of foods but also the relevance of the use of the FSAm-NPS score and the Nutri-Score in the context of public health policies aimed at directing consumers towards foods of better nutritional quality, with a view to preventing chronic diseases”, emphasize Inserm researchers Mélanie Deschasaux and Mathilde Touvier, who coordinated the study.
The Nutri-Score was officially adopted in Luxembourg in 2017 and since by various European countries (Netherlands, Switzerland, France). However, the application of this logo remains optional for manufacturers.
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