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The Council of States wants to adjust the Nutri-Score. By 33 to 8, he agreed to a corresponding advance. He wants to prevent the food traffic light from becoming mandatory for all products. The Federal Council must also ensure that foods such as cheese are not classified as too unhealthy as this would distort competition.
“We found that Nutri-Score actually means a fine for many natural products from Switzerland,” said Benedikt Würth (Die Mitte), who had submitted the proposal, to the council.
The Nutri-Score is a traffic light system. It is stated on the packaging and is intended to help consumers choose healthy food. The scale runs from A green (= balanced) to E red (= unbalanced). The nutritional value of a product is crucial. Fruit, vegetables, nuts, certain oils and proteins have a positive effect on the assessment, while a high content of sugar, salt, fat and energy has a negative effect.
This article first appeared in the “Observer”. More exciting articles can be found at www.bewachter.ch.
This article first appeared in the “Observer”. More exciting articles can be found at www.bewachter.ch.
Originally from France, more and more products are now labeled with the Nutri-Score in Swiss supermarkets and shops.
Consumer protection wants mandatory labelling
Consumer lawyers strongly criticize the fact that the Council of States wants to restrict the use of the Nutri-Score. “The traffic light is a great help to the consumer,” said Sara Stalder of consumer protection. Soon 183 brands and more than 6900 products will be marked with it.
Studies show that not only consumers shop healthier when the Nutri-Score is linked to food. The producers also adjust their products, for example by removing sugar from muesli bars in order to get a better rating. “We would therefore like to see the Nutri-Score become mandatory for all products, rather than the Federal Council winding down its commitment,” says Sara Stalder. “The more general it is, the more useful such a label is.”
The Federal Council also did not want to regulate the Nutri-Score again and rejected the proposal. Health director Alain Berset (SP) said in the council that he has no plans to make traffic lights mandatory. The traffic light must remain a voluntary instrument.
However, both supporters and opponents of the food traffic light expect that the EU will soon make the Nutri-Score mandatory for all products. “Then Switzerland should follow, which would also be good,” says Sara Stalder. Benedikt Würth and the majority of the Council of States, on the other hand, want to take timely countermeasures.
Is the consumer spoiled with cheese?
According to the St. Gallic Council of State Würth, the Nutri-Score often gives wrong signals. Cheese, for example, has a high fat content. But it also contains a lot of calcium, which is not reflected in the score. If a bad review deters consumers from buying cheese, competition is distorted.
“Cheese is certainly not unhealthy, but it is part of a balanced diet,” says the president of the association AOP-IGP, a seal of approval for traditional Swiss specialties, in particular cheese and sausage. The initiative directs the Federal Council to establish Nutri-Score rules that address discrimination against certain foods. “After all, we cannot just remove the fat from cheese, then it is no longer cheese.”
However, the Bundesrat states that it cannot change the calculation of the Nutri-Score at will. The basis is an algorithm created in France. There is only one Nutri-Score in all of Europe, everything else makes no sense, federal alderman Alain Berset said in the Council of States.
Like other countries, Switzerland is represented in an advisory board that monitors and further develops the algorithm. That’s already done. For soft drinks, for example, artificial sweeteners are converted. Cola Zero is therefore classified from B to C. Apple spritzer climbs from D to C with the new calculation. In the past, fruit growers had complained about the poorer rating.
Compare muesli with muesli
“The Nutri-Score is not there to weigh cheese and cornflakes,” says consumer advocate Stalder. The goal is that different types of cornflakes can be compared on nutritional value. “It is therefore important that the federal government provides better information about what the Nutri-Score is for.”
Helping people to eat healthy is much needed, says the consumer advocate. In Switzerland today, 40 percent of adults are seriously overweight, as are 15 percent of children and young people. “You can definitely tell people that cheese is fine, but you should enjoy it in moderation.”
Subsequently, the National Council decides how the Federal Council should proceed with the Nutri-Score issue.
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
