Nutri-Score explained
Last updated September 21, 2026 · By the Foodmetria editorial team · how we work
Nutri-Score grades a food from A to E from the numbers in its nutrition table, per 100 g or 100 ml. It answers one narrow question well — which of these two similar products has the better nutritional profile — and says nothing at all about processing, additives or how much you actually eat.
What the grades mean
| Grade | Nutritional profile | What it is useful for |
|---|---|---|
| A | Most favourable in its group | The better choices on the shelf: plain dairy, most vegetables and pulses, wholegrain staples |
| B | Favourable | Everyday products with a reasonable balance; some oils reach B under the current algorithm |
| C | Middle | Typical of processed staples — worth comparing against alternatives in the same category |
| D | Less favourable | Usually driven by sugar, salt or saturated fat; look for the specific number that pushed it down |
| E | Least favourable | Confections, sweetened drinks, very salty or very fatty products |
The grade is relative, not absolute. Nutri-Score was designed so that shoppers could compare products within the same category — two breakfast cereals, two pizzas — and the comparison gets weaker the further apart the foods are. Comparing a bag of crisps with a bottle of water tells you nothing you didn't already know.
How it is calculated
Everything is computed per 100 g, or per 100 ml for drinks, so that packages of different sizes can be compared. Points are counted in two directions:
- Points against: energy, sugars, saturated fat and salt.
- Points in favour: fibre, protein, and the share of fruit, vegetables and legumes.
The difference lands on the A–E scale. Beverages, fats and oils, and cheese are scored on adapted scales — without that, an oil would be compared with a soup. When a required value is missing from the data we show no grade at all rather than a guess.
We show the grade computed by Open Food Facts using the current algorithm; the arithmetic we add on top of it — category averages, percentiles and nutrient levels — is described in how we score.
What changed in the 2024 update
A scientific committee from the countries that use Nutri-Score revised the algorithm, and the seven-country steering group adopted the new version in 2024, with a transition period for manufacturers to reprint packaging. Both versions are still on shelves while that plays out. The main changes:
- Heavier penalties for sugar and for salt.
- Fibre scoring reworked so that whole grains are separated from refined ones.
- More credit for protein overall, but a cap on protein from red meat.
- The fruit-and-vegetable component simplified to fruits, vegetables and legumes.
- The A/B cut-off moved, and sweetened drinks — including those sweetened with non-sugar sweeteners — are penalised more.
The practical effect is a stricter scale: sugary cereals, several dairy products and many ready meals dropped a grade or two, while oils with better fat profiles moved up. If a product's grade changed without its recipe changing, this is almost always why.
What Nutri-Score does not tell you
- Processing. It reads the nutrition table, not the ingredient list. A product rebuilt with sweeteners, emulsifiers and flavourings can improve its grade while becoming more processed. Check the NOVA group alongside it.
- Additives. They are invisible to the calculation. Our additive guides cover what regulators have concluded about the common ones.
- Portions. Per 100 g is the right basis for comparison and the wrong basis for your plate. Every Foodmetria product page lets you set a real portion and recalculates the numbers.
- You. Allergens, intolerances, a low-sodium diet or a medical condition are outside its scope entirely. Our personal check handles that part separately, in your browser.
Where it is used
Nutri-Score is officially recommended in France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland, and it is voluntary in all of them — a manufacturer may simply not print it. There is no EU-wide label: the European Commission has been preparing a revision of the food information rules that would introduce a harmonised front-of-pack scheme, but no proposal has been adopted. Meanwhile Italy uses the NutrInform Battery, the UK and Ireland use traffic lights, and the Nordic countries use the Keyhole. In the United States there is no front-of-pack grade at all.
Frequently asked questions
Does Nutri-Score A mean a food is healthy?
No. Nutri-Score ranks nutritional quality relative to other foods, mostly within the same kind of food. An A yogurt is a better yogurt, not a health food, and an olive oil rated B is not worse for you than a soft drink rated C. Use it to choose between options on the same shelf, not to decide what belongs in your diet.
Who created Nutri-Score and is it official?
It was developed by researchers for Santé publique France, the French public health agency, from a nutrient profiling model originally built for the UK Food Standards Agency. France recommended it in 2017, and Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland followed. It is officially recommended in those countries, but it is voluntary everywhere: no manufacturer is required to print it.
Why did a product's Nutri-Score change without the recipe changing?
The algorithm was revised and adopted in 2024 by the seven countries that use it, with a transition period for manufacturers to update packaging. The revision penalises sugar and salt more heavily, distinguishes whole grains from refined, caps the credit given to red meat protein, and changed the A/B cut-off. Sugary cereals, some dairy products and ready meals moved down as a result; oils with better fat profiles can now reach B.
Does Nutri-Score take additives or processing into account?
No, and this is its most important blind spot. Nutri-Score reads the nutrition table — energy, sugars, saturated fat, salt, fibre, protein, fruit and vegetable content — and nothing else. A reformulated product with sweeteners and emulsifiers can score better than a simpler one. That is why we show the NOVA processing group and the additive list next to it.
Is Nutri-Score used in the United States?
No. There is no front-of-pack grade on US packaging. We display Nutri-Score for US products because it is computed from the same nutrition values that are already on the label, which makes products comparable across markets — not because any US regulator endorses it.
Is there a single EU-wide food label?
Not yet. The European Commission has been preparing a revision of the food information rules that would include a harmonised front-of-pack label, but no proposal has been adopted, and member states continue to use their own schemes: NutrInform Battery in Italy, traffic lights in the UK and Ireland, the Keyhole across the Nordic countries.
How is Nutri-Score calculated?
Per 100 g or 100 ml, never per serving. Points are added for energy, sugars, saturated fat and salt, and subtracted for fibre, protein and the share of fruit, vegetables and legumes. The balance falls on a scale from A to E. Drinks, fats and oils, and cheese are scored on adapted scales, because otherwise they could not be compared with anything.
Browse by grade
Sources
- Santé publique France — Nutri-Score (the agency that introduced the label).
- CRESS / EREN — Nutri-Score update (the research team behind the algorithm, on what the revision changed).
- RIVM (Netherlands) — Nutri-Score.
- European Commission — revision of the Food Information to Consumers Regulation (status of harmonised front-of-pack labelling).
Nutri-Score values shown on Foodmetria come from Open Food Facts and are refreshed daily. This page is general information, not dietary advice — always check the package. How we work.