Yes to the color code. The High Council for Public Health has issued an opinion to this effect. It supports simpler and more understandable nutrition labeling.
Changing nutrition labeling, yes, but not just any old fashioned way. The modernization of food signage has been announced for over a year. Seized last March by the General Directorate of Health (DGS), the High Council of Public Health (HCSP) bring this August 24 its contribution to the debate. It positions itself in favor of the 5-color code which attracts the attention of the consumer while simplifying the information.
To deliver this opinion, the HCSP relied heavily on the scientific literature. This support was the condition sine qua non to approve a new system, justify the experts. They also scrutinized the various proposals of the National Health Nutrition Program (PNNS).
Information will be needed
Only one nutritional score passes the HCSP exam: the 5-C system, a logo that uses 5 different classes and that translates the FSA score into a graphic. This color code is the one proposed in May 2014 by Professor Serge Hercberg, specialist in nutrition.
A test carried out by 60 million consumers had proved convincing. It is now supported by experts at the HCSP for several reasons: This colorful graphic catches the attention of consumers and draws nuanced distinctions. But above all, it offers information rich in meaning and simpler than the current display. A key element when we know that many French people do not fully understand food labeling.
This new information tool “should in no way be a factor worsening social inequalities in health”, explains the HCSP. However, this information primarily benefits the populations already sensitized. This is why the authors of this opinion recommend some additional measures. This 5-C system should be coupled with a “strategy of support and information for the public as well as health and education professionals”, they say. It consists in explaining in detail the new system in place. Because the HCSP recognizes it: poorly presented, the color code can reinforce the anxiety-inducing potential of nutrition.
The reluctance of large-scale distribution
The 5-scale color code is the device most suited to the French situation, but it can still be improved. The HCSP’s opinion highlights a few limitations: it has never been tested in a real situation, and the score strongly takes into account the energy density of the products.
There remains one question: that of the application of the new system. Large-scale distribution has already taken up the issue. Carrefour proposed at the end of 2014 a 4-color code… removing the worst classification. An initiative much criticized at the time. The Federation of Commerce and Distribution Companies (FCD) has also expressed its reservations about the 5-color code.
For effective implementation, it will surely be necessary to pass through binding legislation. Indeed, the United Kingdom voted the color code 10 years ago, but it is not mandatory. And the results are mixed to say the least: associations denounce the lack of consistency in labeling. On this point, the ball is in the legislative court.
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