The nutritional color code is moving forward. Experimentation with four labels is planned for September, announces Marisol Touraine. The application will take place in 2017.
The calendar is becoming clearer around the new nutritional labeling. Different color codes must be tested, under the aegis of a steering committee under the supervision of the Ministry of Health. Marisol Touraine has just specified the conditions in an interview granted to the Parisian. Experiments in real purchasing conditions will start in September.
50 supermarkets will be drawn at random to carry out these tests, reveals the Minister of Health on a daily basis. This phase will last three months, with each sign being evaluated in 10 supermarkets. 10 establishments will serve as a control. “In each of these supermarkets, more than 800 products will be labelled. Of course, all the products in the same range will carry a logo, adds Marisol Touraine. If we decide to label a pizza, all pizzas will be. »
Two equivalent systems
A total of four systems will be tested. The 5-color code, proposed by Professor Serge Hercberg, classifies foods into different categories according to a profile of beneficial or harmful nutrients. The SENS system, proposed by the Fédération du Commerce et de la Distribution (FCD), is based on a scale of four classifications and proposes a frequency of consumption.
These two codes have never been experienced in real life. But according to the National Health Security Agency (Anses), which carried out an initial assessment, they should be similar in their effectiveness. However, the Agency remains cautious: some nutrients are not displayed on the label. The consumer should therefore trust the word of the manufacturer. These partial data, in particular on free sugars or the fruit and vegetable content of foods, constitute the main pitfall.
A weapon against obesity
It now remains to verify that these two systems are in line with the public health objectives set by the National Health Nutrition Program (PNNS). This will be the subject of a second opinion from ANSES.
The two other codes are already used on a routine basis: these are the Daily Nutritional Markers (RNJ), already displayed on food packaging, and traffic lights British. These tests are necessary, believes Marisol Touraine. The Minister sees it as an additional weapon in the fight against obesity and junk food. She also wants to make reading the label a reflex for every Frenchman. Because the problem is real: “A third of French people are overweight, the number of diabetics is increasing and there are inequalities here too, since the son of a worker is five times more likely to be obese than a son of frame,” she says. The application of the chosen logo is planned for 2017.
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