Using nutrient profiling to prevent misleading food marketing

Abstract

MadamLyndal Wellardet al. remind us that marketing productswith fruit and vegetable claims is inaccurate and poten-tially misleading if they do not meet nutrient profilingcriteria(1). In a sample of products advertised on televisionin Spain, in 2008, we found that 52 % and 57 % of foodsand beverages carrying nutrient and health claims,respectively, were for less healthy products, accordingto the UK Nutrient Profile Model(2). To prevent the con-fusion this phenomenon may create among consumers,European legislation stated that, by 2009, the Commissionshall establish specific criteria that shall be respectedfor the use of nutrition and health claims on foods(3).However, the 2011 European legislation on food labellingnot only did not address any such criteria, but also failed tointroduce front-of-pack traffic light food labels, favouringvested interests of the food industry, which spent 1 billionEuros in a lobby campaign opposing such a labellingscheme(4). Today, we are still waiting for nutrient profilingregulation. If we are to allow consumers make informedfood choices, frontof-pack labels have to be introducedand standard criteria for communicating nutrient profilesshould be required for products containing nutrient orhealth claims.