RESEAU NUTRIPREVIUS WORKSHOP
Optinut: a tool for decoding the Nutri-Score® and formulating recipes
- Nutri-Score®
- Nutritional formulation
- Optinut tool
- Improving the food supply
Expert(s) mobilisé(s) / Expert(es) mobilisé(es) : Nadine PICARD, Director of Praxens
Caroline ROUVEYROL, R&D Expert, Nutrition and Consumer Information, CRITT Agro-alimentaire PACA
The experts are members of the Actia Nutriprevius network, composed of fifteen partners working on improving the nutritional quality of products and the food supply.
Target : Companies, distributors, start-ups developing products
Context
Firstly, the Nutri-Score® is supported by several Member States, consumer associations, companies, and distributors who want it to become a mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling in Europe. The European Commission’s consultations and discussions should be completed by the end of 2022… At the same time, to address certain criticisms of the Nutri-Score® algorithm, the scientific committee has identified several possible adaptations to the calculation method: salt, fibre, omega 3, etc.
Secondly, and particularly in France, the public authorities are clearly expecting results in terms of reducing salt, sugar and fat and increasing the content of nutrients of interest. Commitments must be made by the inter-professional organisations.
Improving the food supply raises technical issues depending on the products. Food composition is an important entry point. In summer 2021, the Actia Nutriprevius network launched Optinut, a free Excel online tool to help decoding the Nutri-Score® and to optimise recipes by integrating constraints (thresholds) on the quantities of ingredients and nutrients.
Objectives
- Know how to decode the Nutri-Score algorithm
- Understand how Optinut works in terms of product formulation
Issues raised during the workshop
- How can you analyse the Nutri-Score®?
- How can you define constraints to obtain an optimised recipe?
Solutions given/discussed
- Presentation of the Optinut tool as a formulation aid
- Points of contact in the various regions that can provide answers to problems related to improving the food supply
Methodological/pedagogical tools presented/used
Optinut tool, Santé Publique France reports on the Nutri-Score®.