Between Nutri-Score and rating applications, it is now possible to know a little better the content of our foods. But what is the best system when shopping? We asked Alexandra Murcier, dietitian nutritionist, the question.
Do you know what you are really eating when you buy food in supermarkets? Since the creation of Nutri-score and the appearance of rating apps. It is now easier to know whether we are hovering in the green or in the red. But are these two scores equal? Which one to favor?
The Nutriscore does not sufficiently integrate the use made of the product
Created in 2017, Nutriscore is a logo based on a scale of 5 colors and 5 letters, intended to inform the consumer. It is edited using data from the nutritional value table and by the amount of nutrients it deems healthy and unhealthy. If this Nutri-score was necessary for good consumer information, Alexandra Murcier, nutritionist and member of our committee of experts, is not entirely convinced by its objectivity.
“For me, it's a slightly vague rating system (the logo does not indicate why it concludes with such a letter), which also contains some aberrations. On oil for example, the score will be mediocre, because the product will be judged as too fatty, even though this is the principle of an oil. The logic of use (a spoonful of oil in a recipe, which will be good for your health) is not taken into account. account”.
Yuka, champion on additives, less on nutritional quality
On the other hand, there is Yuka, the application which examines the composition of your food simply by scanning the bar code with your smartphone. The result is a list of components and additives, ranging from green to red to give you an idea. But here again, the result does not include all the useful information according to our expert.
“Yuka is very interesting, because it highlights all the additives present in our food. The other side of the coin is that only the rating of the additives has an impact on the final score. Consequently, nutritionally unbalanced foods, but which do not have too many additives, will end up with a good mark In terms of pure nutritional balance, it is therefore not perfect either.
NO to diets, YES to WW!
How to make the best choice on the shelf?
If the two tools mentioned can still give you an indication, Alexandra Murcier pleads for another approach during our races.
“My advice is to learn to read the labels and to choose consciously, which will be more complete than the rating systems”.
However, several rules must be respected:
- Always choose the rawest and least processed food possible;
- Choose a food with the shortest ingredient list if you have the choice between several references (in cakes for example…) and the fewest additives;
- Pay attention to certain typical mentions “hydrogenated fats”very bad for health;
- Look at the words “carbohydrates including sugar”, and choose the lowest one.
Finally, whether on the package or on Yuka, also check the salt level, “because we often look at fat and sugar, but we forget to pay attention to salt, which is often too present in Europe.
