Nestlé and Danone push for Nutri-Score roll out as COVID-19 deepens nutritional rifts

28 Apr 2020 --- Food industry giants, including Nestlé and Danone, are joining a coalition calling for Nutri-Score to become the mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labeling (FoPL) system across the EU. The group, which also includes consumer organizations, academics and Members of European Parliament, has penned a letter to Stella Kyriakides, the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety. The move comes as Nestlé and Danone also both invest in health-related NPD, further bolstering their nutrition credentials.

Bart Vandewaetere, Head of Corporate Communications and Government Relations for Nestlé Zone EMENA, tells NutritionInsight that less healthy lifestyles are set to rise amid the economic downturn created by COVID-19, meaning that transparent ways of communicating nutrition are particularly crucial.

“It’s very important that COVID-19 does not delay the rolling out of Nutri-Score. In the short-term and under lockdowns, people aren’t going outside to eat, and are cooking at home more frequently. From this perspective, it is very important to be able to make healthier choices,” he further details.

“Secondly, if we think beyond the present times, we will, unfortunately, awaken in a world where there are many people without jobs – many more than six or eight weeks ago. This recession will broaden inequalities, which are very much linked to a less nutritious lifestyle. Nutri-Score makes it easy for people to understand what is healthier, which will help populations be more aware and make more nutritious choices,” he continues. 

The letter itself outlines that amid the COVID-19 crisis, the health of EU citizens is more important than ever, with this being a key way to address long-term health risks related to unbalanced diets and malnutrition. Other organizations backing the movement include Albert Heijn, Carrefour, Dutch Food Retail Association, Lidl, McCain and REWE Group. 

“As Europe continues to confront the serious impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, the importance of the health of its citizens has been underlined more than ever. The focus remains for now on combating the immediate threats posed by the virus,” the letter reads.

Nestlé implemented Nutri-Score on some of its products last year.“It is nevertheless imperative that, as we look ahead, policymakers address underlying and urgent societal concerns related to unbalanced diets and malnutrition, which will persist in our societies if strong action is not taken. We believe that food plays an important part in maintaining a healthy society, and that we must, therefore, empower citizens throughout the EU to adopt balanced eating and drinking habits by providing clear nutritional information,” the organizations continue.

EU delays
The broad call for the color-coded label comes before the EU Commission is due to publish its Farm to Fork Strategy, which aims to make the food system sustainable. The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) – one of the nearly 40 stakeholders in the coalition – expects that because the strategy aims to promote health food for all, an EU executive is likely to propose an EU-wide FoPL. 

However, Vandewaetere explains that getting the backing of the EU is the biggest potential obstacle, noting that COVID-19 has delayed the release of the Farm to Fork Strategy. “COVID-19 is not changing our own target to roll Nutri-Score out entirely by the end of 2021. While there might be a couple of weeks delay here and there, our commitment to honoring this deadline is strong,” says Vandewaetere.

Last December, it was revealed that the Dutch government will implement the labeling system by mid-2021. Meanwhile in January, a UK youth-driven movement calling for the traffic light system to be compulsory on all foods noted that Brexit could provide a key opportunity to overhaul the UK’s current FoPL. 

Rolling out Nutri-Score
Last year, Nestlé implemented Nutri-Score in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and Switzerland. A few months later, the first Nestlé products – including Menier chocolate and Garden Gourmet plant-based food – with Nutri-Score hit the shelves. Other brands such as Cheerios and Fitness breakfast cereals, Nescafé and Nestlé Dessert will follow before the end of this year.

Meanwhile, Danone has started to roll out Nutri-Score on its essential dairy and plant-based products in eight EU countries so far, with deployment in other categories currently being addressed. 

Currently, it is a Member State’s initiative to authorize the use of Nutri-Score on a voluntary basis. “We believe it would be much more convenient to have a pan-European approach so that consumers would benefit from the same level of information across EU Member States,” a Danone spokesperson tells NutritionInsight.

“There is indeed a growing demand from consumers for more transparency and information about their food and drink. The best way to provide this is by aligning with stakeholders across the food value chain and civil society on a method to provide this,” they continue. 

Vandewaetere also explains that this transparency is also important from a marketing standpoint as it allows clear communication, as well as comparability with other products. Additionally, it provides a marketing incentive to spur rapid reformulation. He notes that while currently, 16 percent of Nestlé’s breakfast cereals are rated A or B (the healthiest scores), the company aims for half of its cereals to have this score by the end of next year. 

Nestlé's aims to boost the proportion of breakfast cereals rated A or B from 16 to 50 percent.Nestlé and Danone invest in nutritionally packed NPD
In addition to supporting healthy lifestyles through the backing of Nutri-Score, Nestlé and Danone are also both investing in “superfood” NPD. Nestlé is addressing personalized nutrition with NesQino, which creates healthy, customizable superfood drinks quickly and easily for the at-home or in-office market. The sachets contain natural ingredients including fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, roots and microalgae, as well as probiotics for overall well-being.

With NesQino, consumers can make up to 21 different superfood drink recipes designed by nutritionists using different types of healthy ingredients. Users of the system can simply choose one superfood sachet and one base sachet, pour the contents into the Q-cup with water and select the desired temperature for a hot or cold nutritional beverage ready in two minutes.

“The goal is to offer a personalized wellness experience, so each of the seven superfood sachets has a name and targets a specific need using the ingredients used,” they continue. “For example, one superfood sachet is called ‘timeless flair’ and supports ‘antioxidant resilience.’ The recipe contains ingredients including strawberries, sea buckthorn and chia seeds, beetroot and probiotics. You can mix this with any one of the three base sachets, depending on your tastes, to craft your customized drink,” a Nestlé spokesperson tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

Meanwhile, Danone Manifesto Ventures (DMV) has entirely funded a US$10 million financing round for Laird Superfood, creator of functional plant-based superfood products. Laird Superfood will utilize the new capital from DMV to continue to develop new offerings, expand its manufacturing campus in Oregon, US, and grow its platform of clean, high-quality, plant-based products. 

“The growth of Laird Superfood has been a result of our company’s focus on functional, convenient, better-tasting products while staying authentic to our Co-Founder Laird Hamilton's uncompromising standards of quality and ingredients,” says Paul Hodge, CEO and Co-Founder of Laird Superfood. 

“After thoughtful consideration and developing a strong relationship with the DMV team, we believe they are the best partner to help us deliver the mission and vision of the company. Danone aims to inspire healthier and more sustainable dietary practices around the world, which is perfectly aligned with the vision of our founders,” Hodge concludes. 

By Katherine Durrell