Portugal’s new government reverses Nutri-Score pack labelling plan

Lisbon’s former socialist government proposed on 5 April to adopt the traffic light labelling system, which ranks products based on their nutritional value. Products are labelled against a ranking system, with A (green) being the best and E (red) the worst.

However, the recently-installed Democratic Alliance centre-right government, which won the country’s general elections three months ago, has questioned its predecessor’s move.

A decree published by Portugal’s Agriculture Ministry on Tuesday (11 June), seen by Just Food, questioned its legality. The government argued the General Directorate of Food and Veterinary (DGAV), which it said is responsible for food labelling, had not been consulted before the decision was taken.

It said the DGAV had expressed “reservations” about Nutri-Score, which it believes could lead to “confusing classifications”.

Nutri-Score, created in France in 2017, has been implemented in a number of European countries, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, but it has not yet been given the green light at EU level. Some EU members, notably Italy, have voiced their opposition to the scheme.

Some reports suggested the decision on which scheme to recommend had been put back to the second quarter of 2024, after the European Parliament elections which have just been held.

Just Food