Leclerc, Intermarché, Auchan and Fleury-Michon promise to apply the Nutri-Score color code to their products. They signed a Charter of commitment to this effect.
The nutritional logo project is underway. Three supermarkets and a food company have made a commitment to display the Nutri-Score on their products. Intermarché, Leclerc, Auchan and Fleury-Michon have all signed the commitment charter to this effect. The Ministry of Health welcomes this in a press release on April 27. But the battle is not over yet. The decree which fixes the specifications for the logo was sent to the European Commission on April 24th. She now has 3 months to respond.
3 months of examination
On paper, the four manufacturers undertake to install Nutri-Score on their products and to communicate nutritional information to their customers. Nutri-Score is the logo chosen after testing under real purchasing conditions. Using a color scale and letters, it indicates the nutritional quality of the product, taking into account the “good” and “bad” nutrients.
According to the Ministry of Health, “other (manufacturers) have indicated their intention to commit soon”. The intention is good, and they still have a comfortable period of thought. For three months, the French government will have to respect a period of status quo, during which the European Commission and the Member States will examine the text. Without negative opinion from them, the document will be published in the Official Journal.
The long battle
However, the Commission has the possibility of slowing down the application of Nutri-Score in France. It can, in fact, issue a detailed opinion which has the effect of prolonging the status quo 3 months. During this period, the Member State must respond to the observations and discussions take place. Commissioners can also choose to block any progress for 12 to 18 months if they deem “harmonization” necessary across the European Union.
In view of the intense lobbying to which certain manufacturers have lent themselves, it is a safe bet that the waltz will resume for several months. It is, in fact, thanks to the combined pressure of the ANIA and the FCD that the tests in real purchasing conditions were carried out. They postponed the choice of the ministry for several months. In 2010, the agro-food industry had even succeeded in making the European Parliament back down on the appearance of a mandatory tricolor logo. By then, the government will have changed. There is therefore no evidence that the logo will be applied.
A monitoring committee
Progress remains notable, as the color code aims to improve nutritional information for the population. Despite the doubts raised by the National Health Security Agency (ANSES), they make it easier to read labels and encourage the purchase of healthy foods. The effect is even more marked on the cheapest products, favored by the disadvantaged categories.
These observations will of course have to be confirmed subsequently. This is the objective of the monitoring committee which will soon be created. It is also necessary that the coverage is sufficient in French supermarkets. Because the project’s steering committee affirmed it in his final report : It is only on this condition that the impact on public health can be observed.
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