Many consumers have adopted this habit: checking the Nutri-Score of the food products they purchase. More than letters and colors, this tool sometimes dictates our eating behaviors. Buy less sugar, less processed, healthier, with a short supply chain and low fat content… But we are not the only ones who have adapted, manufacturers are doing it too.
This is what a study published in the American journal reveals European Review of Agricultural Economics entitled “The effect of front-of-package nutrition labeling on product composition”.
Junk food sold in France is better for your health
To prove that producers have made voluntary efforts to improve the scores of their foods, researchers studied thousands of references of cereals, chips and even popcorn in order to compare these ultra-processed foods sold in France with those available in Italy or the United Kingdom, two countries which have not implemented the Nutri-Score. And unsurprisingly, these products have a healthier composition for health on French territory. The constraint of the Nutri-score would be the explanation.
“Compared to other countries, there is a reduction in sugar, salt and saturated fatty acids in France,” confirms Chantal Julia, professor of nutrition at Sorbonne Paris-Nord University, interviewed by France Inter. There has also been an increase in the proportion of fiber and protein in these products. This suggests that it is linked to the introduction of Nutri-Score. »