Nutri-Score: What does the colour code tell you?
The Nutri-Score is designed to give consumers an overview of the nutritional value of a product. In this health tip we explain how the Nutri-Score is arrived at and why a score of A doesn't necessarily mean a product is healthy.
DATE | 2 minutes reading time
Author:
Content-Team SWICA
Content-Team SWICA
A healthy, balanced diet is the basis of good health. But with such a huge variety of products available at the supermarket, how can you tell which ones have the right nutrients? This is where the Nutri-Score is designed to come in. Since autumn 2020 it's been displayed on many packaged foods. The idea is to give shoppers guidance.
How is the Nutri-Score determined?
The Nutri-Score ranges from the best rating, A (green), to the worst, E (red). Products are rated by analysing their ingredients in detail and offsetting the positive and negative ingredients. The positive ingredients category includes things like the proportion of fruit and vegetables, pulses and certain oils. Sugar, saturated fatty acids and salt, by contrast are rated as negative. On the basis of this classification, a Nutri-Score consisting of a letter and the corresponding colour is calculated.
It's important to note that the Nutri-Score isn't a general declaration of how healthy a product is. This is because the Nutri-Score only compares products within a specific category, for example all frozen pizzas. A frozen pizza with a vegetable topping might be rated A because its nutritional value is better than the alternative with meat. Even so, given the amount of fat and preservatives it contains, a frozen pizza isn't a healthy product. It's also not possible to compare products with the same Nutri-Score with each other. Our frozen pizza with a Nutri-Score of A, for example, doesn't have the same amount of nutrients as a ready-made salad classified A.
What are the advantages of the Nutri-Score?
The Nutri-Score is a quick and easy way of comparing products in a specific category. It can help you make more conscious choices for foods with good nutritional content. The Nutri-Score also creates awareness of a healthier diet and can help consumers take a closer look at what they eat. It's also a transparent indication of the ingredients of foods.The Nutri-Score is not a conclusive nutritional recommendation. This means on the one hand that you shouldn't consume A-rated products without restriction, but on the other that a Nutri-Score of E shouldn't prevent you from enjoying a product in moderation. The Nutri-Score is merely intended as an aid to deciding for the healthier alternative when you have similar products to choose from.
A varied and balanced diet makes a big difference to your wellbeing and can boost your health over the long term. For this reason, SWICA customers benefit from attractive prevention contributions of up to 900 francs per year and a wide range of health offers related to nutrition.
In the event of further health-related questions, SWICA customers can contact the santé24 telemedicine service free of charge on +41 44 404 86 86. A telemedicine practice licence allows santé24 physicians to provide additional medical services in cases that are suited to a telemedicine approach. SWICA customers can also use the BENECURA medical app to carry out a digital SymptomCheck and receive recommendations about what to do next. During a subsequent phone call with santé24, customers can decide for themselves whether to release their information from SymptomCheck to santé24.
