Food marketer says Nutri-Score oversimplifies food ratings

The Nutri-Score food traffic-light label is coming to Estonian grocery stores, but critics say its ratings can oversimplify products, ERR reported.

Urmas Villmann, creative director at advertising agency Kontuur, said on ETV’s “Impulss” that shoppers may see a red rating as a sign a product is bad and a green one as a sign it is good, without looking at the reasoning behind the score. He noted that fries can receive a green rating under Nutri-Score.

Taavi Tillmann, an associate professor of public health at the University of Tartu, welcomed the label, saying it combines several factors into one letter. The score takes account of sugar, salt, protein, fibre, fat and energy, he said, making it easier for shoppers to choose healthier options without having to navigate the information on packaging.

Critics say the ratings can also be confusing within product categories. Cook Jana Guzanova pointed to herring, which receives a D rating even as a campaign encourages people to eat fish. Herring contains beneficial fats and protein, she said, while also having a relatively high salt content.

Triinu Allika, head of food safety at the Agriculture and Food Board, said the system is not intended to label one product as good and another as bad. Instead, it compares products within the same category to help shoppers find options with better-balanced components.