Dear Ministers, 

Nutri-Score is a great tool to raise transparency for consumers and make informed decisions. But there is a fundamental problem: not all food products carry Nutri-Score. This is why I am writing to you: I need your support to make Nutri-Score mandatory. 

For years, governments have argued that it is not possible to make Nutri-Score mandatory at national level due to EU legal restrictions. That is why foodwatch has commissioned a legal memorandum. It shows that a mandatory Nutri-Score at national level is possible. 

Therefore, I am calling on you, as Minister of a country that already supports a voluntary Nutri-Score, to make Nutri-Score mandatory in your country. The EU has failed to deliver on its promise in the Farm to Fork strategy for an EU-wide harmonised and mandatory front-of-pack nutritional label. The health of the population is deteriorating; we no longer have time to waste.  

We need all companies to show their true colours, and to do that we need you to act now. 

Yours sincerely, 

Your first name & surname, place and comment, if given (will be completed automatically)

France

• Stéphanie Rist, Minister of Health, Families, Autonomy and Persons with Disabilities
• Annie Genevard, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry
• Roland Lescure, Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty

Belgium

• Frank Vandenbroucke, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health, responsible for the Fight against Poverty

Netherlands

• Sophie Hermans, Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport
• Jaimi van Essen, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature

Germany

• Nina Warken, Federal Minister of Health
• Alois Rainer, Federal Minister of Agriculture, Food and Homeland

Spain 

• Pablo Bustinduy, Minister for Consumer Affairs

Luxembourg

• Martine Hansen, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture; Minister for Consumer Protection

Switzerland

• Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, Federal Councillor

Consumers have a right to full transparency regarding the nutritional quality of food, and a mandatory Nutri-Score would enable us all to make informed purchasing decisions based on the comparability of all products. If Nutri-Score adoption is voluntary, as it is the case now, it is mostly displayed on healthy products, preventing it from fully achieving its goal of allowing comprehensive comparisons between foods. A mandatory Nutri-Score would also provide manufacturers with a strong incentive to reformulate their products, lead to healthier purchasing decisions and thus be a key component in the fight against poor nutrition and obesity. 

foodwatch has published a legal memorandum demonstrating that it is entirely possible to make the Nutri-Score mandatory at national level. [1] Ultimately, it is primarily a political decision as to whether a government, in order to protect the health of its citizens, will seek to make this a reality despite potential opposition. 

Following intense lobbying by Italy and the European junk food industry [2] [3], the European Commission has shelved its plans for an european mandatory and harmonised front of pack nutritional label for the time being. [4] Given the current political climate, it is highly unlikely that the Commission will revisit the issue. We cannot afford to waste another ten years waiting for action at European level we must act now! 

The Nutri-Score compares positive nutrients, such as fibre, protein, fruit, and vegetables, with less healthy nutrients, such as sugar, salt, and saturated fat. The result is shown on a five-level scale from A to E: A and B are more healthy choices, while D and E are less healthy products.

Nutrition tabels on the back of the pack are often hard to read and difficult to understand. The Nutri-Score is in front of the pack and in colour, making it easier to compare products at a glance and helps people choose healthier foods. Studies show that Nutri-Score is the most understandable simplified nutritional labelling system on the front of packaging. [5]

1. Dr Nikhil Gokani, Memorandum to foodwatch on the adoption of a measure on mandatory Nutri-Score labelling by a Member State of the EU, Mai 2026.
2. Le Monde, The battle over Europe’s nutrition label, 27. December 2022.
3. foodwatch, Strategies used by the agro-industrial lobby against a mandatory Nutri-Score, 17. June 2024.
4. foodwatch, Why did Nutri-Score vanish from the agenda?, 18. September 2025.
5. Nutri-Score Blog / EREN, The Nutri-Score nutrition label: justifications, scientific basis, user guide, benefits, limitations, deployment and update, 31. October 2025.