Translations/Color Score/English

Auto-translated draft being corrected

<! - Hand column content - how used to remove left column and center glad On Some pages ->  



Nutritional Score - Color Notes - France

A system of grades A to E to simplify nutritional labeling

In the report "Proposals for a new impetus to the French public health nutrition policy in the framework of the National Health Strategy" (<a href="http://www.sante.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/rapport_Hercberg_15_11_2013.pdf"></a> pdf) Professor Serge Hercberg advocates the adoption of a system of grades A to E on the front of food to allow to simply compare the nutritional quality of products.

<img src="">

These color accents are set by calculating a nutritional score that reflects a part of the energy, saturated fat, sugars, sodium (high levels are considered unhealthy), and secondly the proportion of fruits, vegetables and nuts,
fibers and proteins (high levels are considered good for health).

To learn more:

<a "Video 2 minutes" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAwTyEEHnOs">What labeling for food products?</a>
<a href="http://www.sfsp.fr/petitions/petition.php?cid=7">Petition For a simple nutritional labeling, intuitive and understandable by all on the front of food packages</a>




The nutritional score on Open Food Facts

The formula for calculating the nutritional score, thresholds notes and various proposals were coping us transmitted by Professor Hercberg team. This formula was the subject of studies and adaptations for the French market.

The version adopted officially and implementation of Open Food Facts is the relationship 
<a NOTICE href="/files/hcspa20150625_infoqualnutprodalim.pdf">of the High Council for Public Health relating to information on the nutritional quality of food products June 25, 2015</a>.




However, we calculated the nutritional score for products sold on French soil and referenced in the database Open Food Facts, and determine the grades A to E corresponding. This allows in particular to compare the nutritional score and / or notes different products, and to study the distribution for each product category.


Formula calculating the nutritional score

points are given to the products according to the amount of nutrients they contain per 100 g.
A Points are given for the nutrients considered "bad" and points C are given for the "good" nutrients and the content in fruits, vegetables and nuts.

Points A

A points are the sum of points for energy, saturated fat, sugars and sodium.


<tbody>
</tbody>
 Points
 
 Energy (kJ)
 
 Saturated Fat (g)
 
 Sugars (g)
 
 Sodium (mg)
0
 
≤335
 
≤1
 
≤4.5
 
≤90
1
 
>335
 
>1
 
>4.5
 
>90
2
 
>670
 
>2
 
>9
 
>180
3
 
>1005
 
>3
 
>13.5
 
>270
4
 
>1340
 
>4
 
>18
 
>360
5
 
>1675
 
>5
 
>22.5
 
>450
6
 
>2010
 
>6
 
>27
 
>540
7
 
>2345
 
>7
 
>31
 
>630
8
 
>2680
 
>8
 
>36
 
>720
9
 
>3015
 
>9
 
>40
 
>810
10
 
>3350
 
>10
 
>45
 
>900

Points C

The point C is the sum of points for fruit, vegetables and nuts, for fiber and protein.


<tbody>
</tbody>
 Points
 
 Fruits, vegetables and nuts (%)
 
 Fibre (g)
 
 Protein (g)
0
 
≤40
 
≤0.7
 
≤1.6
 
1
 
>40
 
>0.7
 
>1.6
 
2
 
>60
 
>1.4
 
>3.2
 
3
 
-
 
>2.1
 
>4.8
 
4
 
-
 
>2.8
 
>6.4
 
5
 
>80
 
>3.5
 
>8.0
 

Note: potato, sweet potato, taro, cassava and tapioca are not included in fruits, vegetables and nuts.

nutritional score calculation


If points A & lt; 11 then score = point A - point C
If the points A ≥ 11

If the points for fruit, vegetables and nuts = 5, then score = point A - point C
If the points for fruit, vegetables and nuts & lt; 5, then score points A = - (fiber + points for points fruits, vegetables and nuts




Adaptations for the French market

The formula of nutritional score indicated above corresponds to the formula nutritional score of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK.

The team of Professor Hercberg offers adaptations for the French market are implemented to calculate the score on Open Food Facts.

Adaptation for cheese

For cheeses, points to the proteins are cut to score even if the points are A ≥ 11.

Adaptation for fat

To help differentiate between fats (oils, margarines, fresh cream) all of which have rates higher saturated fat to the maximum threshold of 10 g, another grid that reflects the ratio of saturated fatty acids the total fat is applied:


<tbody>
</tbody>
Points
 
ratio Saturated fat / Total Fat
0
 
& lt; 10
1
 
& lt; 16
2
 
& lt; 22
3
 
& lt; 28
4
 
& lt; 34
5
 
& lt; 40
6
 
& lt; 46
7
 
& lt; 52
8
 
>& lt; 58
9
 
>& lt; 64
10
 
>64

Adaptations for fruits and vegetables

The nuts and nuts are not taken into account for the calculation of the content of fruits and vegetables.

Adaptations for drinks

Warning: the nutritional score for milk and vegetable milks is calculated with the formula not the formula for drinks.


The threshold points for energy and sugars are modified for drinks, and points are doubled for fruits:


<tbody>
</tbody>
 Points
 
 Energy (kJ)
 
 Sugars (g)
 
 Fruits, vegetables (%)
 
0
 
0
 
0
 
& lt; = 40
1
 
≤30
 
≤1,5 ​​or sweeteners
 

2
 
>30
 
>1.5
 
>40
3
 
>60
 
>3
 

4
 
>90
 
>4.5
 
>60
5
 
>120
 
>6
 

6
 
>150
 
>7.5
 

7
 
>180
 
>9
 

8
 
>210
 
>10.5
 

9
 
>240
 
>12
 

10
 
>270
 
>13.5
 
>80

Color notes thresholds

The thresholds used to assign the notes are:
 


Solid Foods:


A - Green: to -1
B - Yellow: 0-2
C - Orange: from 3 to 10
D - Rose: 11 to 18
E - Red: 19 and more


Beverages:

Only water (mineral and spring, with exclusion of flavored waters) is classified A.


A - Green: mineral waters and spring waters
B - Yellow: up to 1
C - Orange: 2 to 5
D - Rose: from 6 to 9
E - Red: 10 and more



 Warning: This score may still not match the recommended score:

The fiber content is not necessarily present in the nutrition table. When the latter is not indicated, any positive contribution of the fibers is not taken into account. We encourage all producers to indicate the fiber content of their products on the packaging thereof.
The points corresponding to the levels in fruits and vegetables are not taken into account for all products. The fruit content, vegetables and is indeed not on the package within the nutrition table, and we'll have to determine the with other information (such as the words "minimum fruit content", the category of products (eg jams contain 50% fruit) and / or the ingredient list.)


A new field "Fruits, vegetables (minimum)" was created to record the values ​​of the terms "minimum content of fruit / vegetables" etc.
By default, the products in certain categories are considered to have a minimum content of:


100%: <a juice href="http://fr.openfoodfacts.org/categorie/jus-de-fruits"></a>
90%: <a href="http://fr.openfoodfacts.org/categorie/compotes">stewed fruits</a>
85%: <a href="http://fr.openfoodfacts.org/categorie/legumes">vegetables</a>
50%: <a href="http://fr.openfoodfacts.org/categorie/confitures">jams</a>
other categories to define

To calculate the nutritional score, it is important to distinguish levels above 40%, 60% and 80%.





For lyophilized food (packet soups etc.), the score should be calculated for the reconstituted product, not the product in the rough as is currently the case.


You can help us learn the fruit content, vegetables and nuts products. For more information, see <a href="http://fr.wiki.openfoodfacts.org/Projet_de_loi_sur_l%27%C3%A9tiquetage_nutritionnel_:_on_s%27en_m%C3%AAle_%3F">the Nutritional Labeling</a> project wiki.

Note: tubers such as potatoes and sweet potatoes are not considered vegetables to calculate nutritional score
.

Thank You

We thank Professor Serge Hercberg and Dr. Chantal Julia for their help and the data we have communicated to calculate the nutritional score. These data come from the work <a href="http://www-smbh.univ-paris13.fr/recherche/laboratoires/69-equipe-de-recherche-en-epidemiologie-nutritionnelle-eren-umr-1153-inserm-u1125-inra-cnam -up13.html">Research Team Nutritional Epidemiology (EREN)</a>
University Paris 13 / Avicenne Hospital.