Nestlé Announces Industry-leading Push to Use Nutri-Score in Europe
Nestlé has announced that it will use Nutri-Score nutrition labeling in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and Switzerland, starting in the first half of 2020. The company will implement Nutri-Score across brands of its wholly-owned businesses over a two-year period.
Cereal Partners Worldwide, the international breakfast venture between Nestlé and General Mills, will also implement Nutri-Score on its product packaging in the same countries. In total, more than 5000 products in the five countries will feature Nutri-Score.
Nutri-Score is a voluntary front-of-pack scheme that classifies foods and beverages according to their nutritional profile. It is a color-coded system with a scale ranging from A (healthier choices) to E (less healthy choices).
Marco Settembri, CEO of Nestlé for Europe, Middle East and North Africa, says: “Our ambition is to have one of the healthiest options in every product category we offer. Nutri-Score will motivate us and help track our progress. I am proud that Nestlé is the first company to roll out Nutri-Score at this scale in Europe. We now want to move quickly as we are sure this is the right way forward.”
Nestlé and Cereal Partners Worldwide are beginning the roll-out of Nutri-Score in those European countries that already support the system. The two companies are ready to implement it in further countries that request it or notify it to the European Commission.
Nestlé brands on which Nutri-Score will appear include plant-based products from Garden Gourmet, Nesquik chocolate-flavored milk, Buitoni pizzas, Nescafé coffee, Maggi culinary products and KitKat chocolate. Cereal Partners Worldwide will use Nutri-Score on its breakfast cereals, including Fitness and Chocapic. Some products such as infant formula are out of scope or fall under separate regulations.
