Beyond Nutrient Profiling: Strengths, Limitations, and Emerging Challenges for Nutri-Score and Related Front-of-Pack Labeling Systems
Abstract
Front-of-pack nutrition labeling systems have become important tools for improving consumer understanding of nutritional information and supporting healthier food choices. Among these systems, Nutri-Score has emerged as one of the most widely implemented nutrient profiling models in Europe. Based on the Food Standards Agency Nutrient Profiling System, Nutri-Score summarizes selected nutritional characteristics of foods through a simplified five-level color-coded scale. A growing body of evidence indicates that Nutri-Score improves consumers’ ability to compare products, supports healthier purchasing decisions, and may encourage product reformulation. Epidemiological studies have reported associations between dietary patterns characterized by less favorable nutrient profile scores and increased risks of chronic diseases and mortality. Despite these strengths, important scientific and conceptual questions remain. This review examines the principles of nutrient profiling and assesses how effectively food quality can be represented by a limited set of nutritional criteria. Particular attention is given to nutrient reductionism, the use of the standardized 100 g reference, food matrix effects, the relationship between nutrient profiling and food processing, the influence of hedonic drivers and health claims on consumer behavior, and the growing importance of environmental contaminants as dimensions of food quality not captured by current algorithms. Future food evaluation systems may benefit from integrating complementary information related to food structure, processing characteristics, dietary context, and emerging insights from systems nutrition.