Kerry tool assesses front of pack nutrition labels
Manufacturers looking to optimise the nutritional profile of products while being aware of the various front of pack regulations can now use KerryNutri Guide.
The analytical tool can measure food and beverages across a wide range of front-of-pack nutrition labelling systems and guide the user to a better score.
Kerry said KerryNutri Guide has been launched in response to the need to promote healthier diets globally amid a changing regulatory environment.
Governments across the world are introducing taxes and restrictions on products that are high in fat, sugar and salt to combat health issues which put a huge burden on public resources, while manufacturers have the challenge of creating great tasting products that still meet these guidelines.
The online tool can support brands in navigating this changing landscape, quantifying the nutrition score of products against over 10 global nutrient profile models and guiding users on how that score can be improved.
Partnering with Kerry, manufacturers can use the scoring model to identify areas for reformulation and innovation.
Speaking about the launch of KerryNutri Guide, Albert McQuaid, global chief science and technology officer at Kerry, said the past five years alone has seen an increase in nutrition restrictions and tax implementations to tackle obesity in history.
“Today over 40 countries worldwide use a front of pack nutrition label and this can be challenging for companies who have products that are sold in multiple markets,” McQuaid said. “KerryNutri Guide measures products against the various front of pack requirements while also demonstrating how improving the nutritional profile can improve their score.
“It can be incredibly challenging for companies who sell products into multiple countries to understand exactly how these labelling systems will appear on their product. Using KerryNutri Guide, we can innovate with customers to create products that meet challenges such as sugar taxes, sodium reduction targets, and comprehensive nutritional profile models. We have a broad range of technologies that can support reformulation as well as leading insights to support manufacturers in a challenging environment. We need to work together to create a world of sustainable nutrition, that is better for people and the planet – KerryNutri Guide is one way that we can support customers in our joint goals.”
Using data entered by the user, the tool measures the impact of a product that is packaged and ready for the end-consumer, calculating energy as well as saturated fat, sugar, fibre, protein and salt content.
KerryNutri Guide then displays the nutrient score of each input, showing areas that are close to or exceeding a regulatory or dietary threshold.
With regulations varying globally, KerryNutri Guide offers regional insights and uses the data to replicate on-pack labels used in the EU, Brazil, the UK, Mexico, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. For example, it will show the HFSS score of the product for the UK market and can also display what sugar taxes apply for each region in beverages. In addition, the tool simulates what nutritional claims can make on pack, whether the product is low in fat, sugar, salt, or is a source of fibre or protein.
