Ministers in disagreement on the issue of Nutri-Score. A new version of this nutritional labeling, established in France 2017, was proposed to the government. Several ministries must give their agreement to validate this unprecedented version of the system, enriched with more detailed rating criteria. But, problem: all of the officials stationed in the team of Prime Minister François Bayrou do not share the same vision of the Nutri-Score.
As announced by RMC This Wednesday, March 12, then confirmed by AFP, Catherine Vautrin, head of work, health, solidarity and family, as well as Yannick Neuder, more specifically responsible for health and access to care, both signed the decree allowing the introduction of the new formula of Nutri-Score on the packaging of French products. “The two ministers are very clear in favor of a very rapid application of the decree,” said the ex-president of the Metropolis of Grand Reims at the news agency.
Annie Genevard reluctant to apply Nutri-Score
On the other hand, two other ministers must also sign this text to allow the application of the Nutri-Score. Eric Lombard, Minister of the Economy, has not yet commentary on the subject. But his colleague Annie Genevard, in charge of agriculture, has already expressed his opposition. His main argument? The system would serve certain French local producers. “The problem, for the Roquefort […] As for the county at my house, or for the magnificent French cores, it is that the classification of these remarkable products was very bad, deemed too fatty or too sweet for some, “said the ex-deputy of Doubs, a region where the famous hard pastry is produced, in the Senate last week.
In front of the parliamentarians, Annie Genevard had therefore assumed to block the progress of the implementation of the new Nutri-Score. “The decree is at my signature. I have not yet signed. I do not know what my room for maneuver are to correct the negative effects, but believe that I am very interested in it,” she said during the questions to the government. Solicited by AFP this Wednesday, the Ministry of Agriculture did not wish to make more comments on its position about the Nutri-Score, whose registration on products is today still optional for industrialists.
The NGO Foodwatch, specializing in the defense of consumer law, had recently launched a petition to challenge the slowness of the application of the new labeling rules. “For the past year, nothing happens. However, the text is ready and the European Commission has given the green light to France,” she deplored. Friday, March 7, Foodwatch tackled the government again, in response to the words of the Minister of Agriculture. Annie Genevard “takes over the arguments of lobbies and dairy products and cold meats, without complex and without consideration for public health and for science,” wrote the organization in a press release.
A device with recognized efficiency
In addition to France, six other European countries have set up Nutri-Score. In detail, the application of updating the system would notably have a more severe effect on the note of processed products. The objective? Take into account the latest scientific work on the subject. The previous actualization of the method of calculating the notation of the Nutri-Score had intervened in early 2024, without the government then in place opposing it. The European Commission had for a time planned to make nutritional labeling compared to a European scale, before rear machine, under the pressure of lobbies and certain states such as Italy, as revealed in recent weeks by a survey of Radio France.
However, the usefulness of this measure is recognized as useful by the public authorities. According to a study by DREES, dating from July 2024, nutritional labeling, the prohibition of advertisements for fatty, sweet and savory products, as well as the taxation of sugary drinks are “the most effective public policies against overweight and obesity”. “The Nutri-Score does not say that it is not necessary to consume the products, it recalls that certain products which are very fatty, very sweet, very salty, must be consumed in small quantities, not too frequently”, underlined last week at AFP Serge Hecberg, the designer of Nutri-Score.
The specialist in nutrition, as well as his sister Mathilde Touvier who resumed the reins of the Nutri-Score project in 2019, were distinguished Monday March 10 from the prize for prevention during the Science and Health Prize awards for 2025. “With our work, we have given power to consumers and obliged industrialists to make their offer evolve”, rejoiced on this occasion the scientist, already awarded several years.