After two successful pilot initiatives using the Nutri-Score system, Dutch retailer Plus has announced the start of a third pilot, which will see Nutri-Score labelling applied across its convenience meal range.
With this step, the retailer said that is actively preparing for the national introduction of the labelling system, which is expected to take place in the first half of 2022.
Plus Pilot Programme
The initiative will see Nutri-Score labelling applied to the packaging of the 'Uit de Keuken van Plus' range.
The range contains various fresh meals, soups, pizzas, Grill & Cook products, and salads.
Of the complete meals within the Uit de keuken van Plus range, 90% have a Nutri-Score A or a B.
Elsbeth van Dam, private label manager at Plus, said, “At Plus we stand for good food. We believe it is important to help our customers eat healthier and therefore attach great importance to the government's choice of the Nutri-Score food choice logo.
"After two pilot projects with Nutri-Score, we will continue with another pilot project on all packaging of our Uit de Keuke products. Our customers are already acquainted with Nutri-Score and we in turn, together with our suppliers, are working even more specifically on improving our products,” she added.
About Nutri-Score
Nutri-Score is a food choice logo that helps customers to quickly and easily compare products within a category, and makes it easier for customers to choose healthier products.
Products can score from A to E within Nutri-Score, and each score is associated with a colour.
Score A is associated with products that boast the healthiest composition and has a dark green colour. Score E is for products with the least healthy composition and has a red colour.
Nutri-Score is expected to be introduced by the government in the first half of this year as the food choice logo of the Netherlands. A number of brands, such as Nestlé, have called in the past for the mandatory introduction of Nutri-Score across the continent.
During its first pilot programmes, Plus conducted research among more than 1,000 Dutch consumers, and found that 79% consider healthy choices important when choosing products in the supermarket.
The survey also indicated that two thirds of Dutch consumers are in favour of the introduction of Nutri-Score in the Netherlands, while 70% think that Nutri-Score helps to compare products quickly and easily.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Conor Farrelly. For more Retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
