The Nutri-Score
The Nutri-Score rates packaged foods from A (dark green) to E (red). It uses the nutrition facts per 100 g or 100 ml. Energy, sugar, saturated fat and salt make the grade worse. Fiber, protein and fruit, vegetables, legumes and nuts make it better.
A revised algorithm has applied since 2024. Sugar and salt count more, drinks with sweeteners score worse, and whole grains with a lot of fiber score better (Max Rubner Institute 2024). In Germany the Nutri-Score is voluntary, and manufacturers have a transition period.
How to read it:
- It compares foods of the same group, such as two cereals or two frozen pizzas. An olive oil with a C is not worse than a soft drink with a C.
- It says nothing about vitamins, minerals, additives or the level of processing.
- It counts per 100 g, not per serving. A spoon of oil is different from a plate of pizza.
NOVA: how processed?
NOVA sorts foods into four groups by processing (Monteiro et al. 2019):
- unprocessed or minimally processed, such as fruit, vegetables, milk, meat, legumes
- processed culinary ingredients, such as oil, butter, sugar, salt
- processed foods, such as cheese, bakery bread, canned food
- ultra-processed foods, such as soft drinks, sweets, many ready meals and processed meats
NOVA does not rate nutrients. A supermarket whole grain bread can land in group 4, a very fatty cheese in group 3. Observational studies link eating a lot of ultra-processed food with a higher risk of overweight and other diseases. Whether processing itself is the cause or the composition of these foods is still debated.
Where HabitHelm gets the values
Nutri-Score and NOVA come from Open Food Facts. The database calculates both from the nutrition facts and the ingredient list that users entered. If data is missing, the grade can differ from the pack or be missing. You can add missing data in HabitHelm.
Sources
- Max Rubner Institute (2024): Nature Food publication on the revision of the Nutri-Score algorithm. mri.bund.de
- Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Levy RB et al. (2019): Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutrition 22(5):936–941. doi.org/10.1017/S1368980018003762
- Open Food Facts: world.openfoodfacts.org